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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22454548">We Got The</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/meiqis/pseuds/starrymeis'>starrymeis (meiqis)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Mutants, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Domestic, Guns, Living Together, M/M, Martial Arts, Multi, Slow Build, Spies &amp; Secret Agents, how do people even tag, nct as secret agency</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:42:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>78,236</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22454548</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/meiqis/pseuds/starrymeis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Renjun didn't think much of it when he first met Johnny or heard his offer of escaping his current life. At that time, he didn't think of things like learning how to fight or do basic bureaucratics. Especially did he not think he would find family in some secret agency and love in his partners. But fate has a funny way of playing things out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, mentions of other ships - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>230</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello to everyone who's unfortunate to have stumbled upon this! It's honestly a great pleasure for me to finally get to post this story of mine as it means that, after first having come up with the idea in August, I finally finished this one!<br/>Back then I only planned it as a one-shot but then, as I finished what is currently the first chapter, I realized it a) makes a perfect cliffhanger (spoiler alert!) and b) I actually want to write more for this? Even at that time, I didn't think it would be quite THIS long but look where we are now... a story that's exceeding my longest one-shot and longest chaptered fic to date by quite a bit... whoops?</p><p>I actually started this story in a typical me way, which was - again - greatly supported and aided in development by <a href="https://twitter.com/galaxyhjs">Gems</a> (not lying when I tell you she's my second brain at this point!! (°◡°♡) ), even when sometimes I only dumped ideas at her to get myself motivated - sorry!</p><p>I give a slight warning, this first chapter might just be the worst of them all? It was the second project I've picked up for Norenmin and continuously worked on it while I finished other pieces too, so as it progresses to an end, you might realize I'm more in touch with the characters? but please don't let it scare you off!<br/>So, yes, it's a long time project of mine and with that declared, and more thoughts at the end:<br/>have fun reading!! ♡</p><p> (I was planning to post this after I'm done with everything for sure but I just noticed if I post now, I'll finish during my vacation with Gems so let's get that bread!)</p><p> </p><p>  <b>trigger warning</b> - mentions of prejudice towards/and mental illness. semi-graphic depictions of violence. mentions of naked skin and making out.<br/>(If I forgot any or you find some more noteworthy, please tell me! thank you!)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><i>“You see too much,”</i> had been the initial words he had heard from a guy named Johnny on a day roughly two weeks ago. A gentle giant, in truest sense of the words, and under different circumstances Renjun might have been curious about such entity but the reality was far off the could bes. Because in reality, despite the soothing appearance and the cozy clothes, the relaxed fitting jeans and oversized sweater, there had been - was - a deadliness to the man’s movements that the teenager did not trust. It was something tangible, something easily noticed if one had the right eye to it, and that even excluded the visions he had had of that specific man already before their encounter. </p><p>A nameless man, a deadly weapon. Too many times had he seen that man handling guns and firearms as if they were toys, hitting marks that shouldn’t be hit and sometimes, if he allowed his imagery to slip too much, he could even imagine the bullets shot taking turns and doing zig-zag movements without any rationality behind them. They just always hit the mark… This man now, though, sat the wrong way around on a chair as if it were a playground he had been intruding and not a psychiatric ward, interrupting Renjun’s two weeks of rehabilitation in the centre because, bluntly, his parents just did no longer know how to handle him. </p><p>
  <i>“You see too much and your only way of coping is by drawing. You’re like a satellite, receiving signals invisible to everyone else that you don’t know how to express otherwise. So, Huang Renjun, if we offer you the solution to everything now, would you be willing to come with me?”</i>
</p><p>Frankly, he should have been intimidated. Well, his first reaction should have been to worry about his mental status because this man who popped up in his visions at random times throughout the day had just stood in front of him and talked to him. But despite every crazy person claiming that, he knew he was not batshit, he was just… Well, he had not yet found a reasonable explanation for it at that time. In this moment, he had only known he was not crazy because the nurse who had showed Johnny inside has pointed out that, in case he wanted to leave now, all the papers would have been prepared and he could go immediately, they’d only deliver his suitcase to him for packing.</p><p>In a way Renjun wanted to argue that between having visions and going with a man he was sure was a killer, the latter was definitely the crazier event to take place yet he had found himself agree to the offer. There had been no more option left for him. When his visions had first started and he had crazily used his crayons to draw across the apartment walls, his parents had thought he merely had some innate artistic senses. The result had been nothing but surprising abilities and it had taken only years for his pictures to become known. First throughout the neighborhood, then the city, eventually he had made it to the newspapers. </p><p>When he first hit puberty did his vision become clearer, he saw the murder, the splatter of blood, the red fog, but there was also tenderness. As much as he wanted to reduce Johnny to a heartless killer, he had also seen that very man try to teach a clumsy child how to handle a gun. It should have been scary, teaching a kid not much older than Renjun himself how to shoot but it had been done so gently, with so much fondness in the eyes and so much familial banter, it had somehow still warmed his heart.</p><p>That day, whilst the gun had been omitted from the painting and replaced by flowers, had marked one of his best creations, the canvas exposed in a gallery and his parents had been happy about the payment. Renjun had been happy about a new set of colors in return.</p><p>Regardless of all that and his rising fame, nothing had hindered the visions from coming to him, sometimes several in a day, sometimes none for weeks, and it reflected in his art. Albeit his skill were the same within or out of a trance, the result differed too quickly, and the mere fact that these creations came from someone as lunatic as him had somehow shot his market price through the roof. It was a concept he did not grasp, money was not what he cared about but it was the thing that kept him tied to his parents regardless.</p><p>He didn’t question their love for him, they still cared for him a whole lot, but if the question was to choose between money and him, the choice would still be an easy one. So that day, it had been easy for Renjun as well, as he got up from his chair, dropping the sketching of Johnny in this very chair in his room, with only the weather outside being so highly different, on his bed as he declared he needed nothing to take along. He already was aware, the person he was now and the person he would be made into soon were not the same, so he didn’t want to take anything along. Not like he had any of his beloved art materials in the ward anyways, no, they were all still kept at home and out of his reach.</p><p>And still, those words were still stuck in his mind like a mantra, one unholy piece. You see too much. Yet all he could look at was an empty piece of paper, his pencil hovering above the white but never touching it. In here, he couldn’t see at all.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>The first one he had felt close to had been a lanky tall kid named Jisung. Ironic, wasn't it? He had seen Mark and Donghyuck so often in his visions, had thought of them as familiar, people he could get along with, but reality was more like meeting an idol in person: someone he had thought to know but didn't actually know at all. It was one sided, never on equal grounds. His knowing their inside jokes would scare them and even knowing about his abilities could never change that. </p><p>Jisung, though, Jisung was just like him yet not at all. A kid that saw too much when seeing nothing at all. </p><p>It had taken Renjun a while to figure why he had just immediately clicked with a boy who had never before shown up in his sights and it had happened around the time he had finally gotten familiar with the outlines of the building. The facility - headquarters, institute, agency, call it whatever you may - looked just like any generic movie version so far: a clean cut building just outside the city on top, mostly for office based stuff, sleeping quarters, common rooms, whatever was good for the soul when they only left to kill people. At least the yard, enclosed by the square shaped building, and the green rooftops were nice, and apparently there were outside facilities like swimming pools and sports courts too. Regardless, that wasn't even the intriguing part, no. Way more interesting were the about half a dozen basement floors. They mostly were for stuff that produced too much noise to remain inconspicuous, like shooting ranges and fighting gyms and all the secret techno stuff. </p><p>It had taken nearly a week and a half to get used to everything and create a mental map, and nearly as long had it taken to hear Jisung's story, and his mentor's in lieu. Originally he had wondered about it, how came that kids like Jeno and Mark were trained by several people with merely one in charge, and even those like Jaemin and Donghyuck had a handful teachers assigned, while the youngest only had one. Admittedly, Renjun didn't dare doubt Chungha anymore because as mysterious a person she had been upon his arrival as deadly she had turned out to be after seeing her spar against Johnny.<br/>
For a marksman known to never miss a target, it had been a curious incident to see him never land a single hit on the sturdy woman. Rather, she had had the giant cornered within minutes, had forced him to drop the weapons and engage in hand to hand combat and even then had she beat his ass. Sparring between Jisung and Mark had lead to a similar result, albeit in a slightly clumsier manner and with the younger taking one too many hits. </p><p>And while watching and standing next to a guy named Doyoung, watching the fight from a first person perspective on the laptop screen, had he heard the whole story.<br/>
Kim Chungha, age twenty-three. Born in Texas but moved to Seoul. Born blind. </p><p>She had been an active child and her parents had sent her into dancing. Despite her inability to see, she had been outstanding, to the point she had become part of a street dance crew. Coincidentally, this was where a former agent spotted her and also became aware of what must have been like a sixth sense of surroundings to her. Long story short, she had entered the agency as a guinea pig for she had received artificial eyes to regain her sight. Only that those eyes were miniature supercomputers designed for combat, with the ability to predict movements, analyze fighting styles, grant her perfect visibility in the dark and whatever other gadget they managed to come up with. Pair it with a great use of physique and they basically had a prodigy at hand. </p><p>Jisung, for that exact reason had become her protégé. </p><p>Park Jisung, age seventeen. Born and raised in Seoul. Mother omitted. Father omitted. Not known to anyone outside the facilities. Born blind. </p><p>In fact, he was affiliated to all of this since day one, birthed as the son of a head researcher and a nurse, he had had access to about any possibility in life. His father had only been too worried of implanting the artificial eyes into such young child. It had taken one year of Chungha testing them without complications for Jisung to receive his as well and now, half dozen years later, she was one of the prime agents and he still chasing after her. </p><p>Renjun found it endearing. In the same odd and twisted way his life had turned out to be now. </p><p>Because Jisung was someone who saw a lot more than an average human should, but born blind, there was an inherent appreciation to these arts that a seeing person could never have. Now the seer could understand why the kid never wanted to return to a life of blindness. It was terrifying, being surrounded by the dark after knowing the light, to not see anything after having seen it all. Everyone lived by standards of what they were used to and Renjun just was not used to seeing nothing - both in visions and in this room. There was just a darkness and yet, due to the lightest reflections of light, at least he was aware of his surroundings, of the table in front of him, the pencil in his hand, the empty paper on top. He was aware of it, he just couldn't see. And that, everyone, was simply terrifying.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“So they locked you into the naughty room, hm?” Jeno asked about entering and despite the ease his visitor wanted to exude, there was some crashing sound and a little whine that indicated the younger had just run into some furniture thanks to the darkness of the room.</p><p><i>The naughty room.</i> It wasn’t exactly a nice name but Renjun could get behind the concept of it. It did feel like a punishment, albeit in his case it wasn’t. Taeil had explained how it was standard procedure for kids like him, who seemed connected to something bigger. They’d have to cut him off entirely so he could get used to how it was without any abilities of the likes and thus feel the difference between normality and specialty.</p><p>It had taken some time for him to get used to the idea of everything, how it all worked, and sometimes it still messed with his brain. Concepts like Jisung or Jeno were easy to deal with. Jisung had artificial sight and Jeno was… similar. An enhanced human. A natural mutation to the cells that resulted in faster convalescence but also a superstructure that enhanced the building of tissue, mostly affecting bones and muscles. Basically, he had inhuman strength and recovery abilities. And apparently it was such seldom genetic makeup, even the agency only held five of their kind - Jeno, Jaehyun, a foreigner named Lucas.</p><p>That in itself had been impressive already but the way interesting story was how they made use of it. Considering they had sturdier bodies than the average human, they were able to withhold higher pressure, both from inside and outside. After years of failed experiments with a microchip connected to the brainstem, scientists had figured that, while it was data everyone could cope with, only those were effective users. A compact dictionary of all the fighting styles in the world, a cheat code to any MMA tournament, the shortcut to become an invincible fighter. But as so often, learning in theory didn’t equal great execution in practice and learning how to move one’s body in all the adequate ways would take too many years to guarantee well-working agents.</p><p>So what if one had a perfect body for any strenuous work and the data to learn all the martial arts in the world? It was like creating a superhuman, a living war machine.</p><p>Unbelievable as it sounded, Renjun had already seen it. Before he had been taken to his momentary sleeping quarters, he had seen been allowed to attend some of their trainings and impressive as Chungha’s swiftness has been, seeing these two going at it had been like watching forces of nature collide and erupt. They had merely fought in one giant hall of concrete but each time either of them had been thrown to the ground or against a wall, it had sounded no better than buildings collapsing. There had been cracks to the surfaces and with that image in mind, Renjun had paid more attention, had seen the countless times the places of impact must have been done over from the imperfections from the floor to the ceilings. Just how they had managed to get some damage done six meters up was a mystery to him yet.</p><p>In a similar way as it had been with Chungha and Jisung, Jeno had also lacked in comparison to Jaehyun, the few years of advantage in training evident because of the smooth flow of all the movements. They had been at that for hours and when they finally got called back by some staff, most of the superficial wounds had already been healed. Bruises had faded to an extend and the sweat running down their bodies had revealed the many white splotches on already pale skin of where they must have been cut up by the debris before the flesh had closed up again. For someone to do so much damage without a weapon had been as impressive as it had been terrifying and maybe Renjun would have also run off.</p><p>But then Jeno had so endearingly smiled and asked, “Is that the new one? I was looking forward to finally meet him!” and maybe the newcomer had felt a bit of his heart swell for being able to draw the attention of someone so handsome. Because, hands down, Jeno was hot shit and most people had decided Renjun was bonkers before even meeting him, no one had ever been excited to meet <i>him</i>, only his heart. </p><p>It had only gotten worse when Jaehyun had released a low whistle and teased, “So that’s your type?” It had kicked in the Chinese boy’s fight-or-flight instinct, especially the latter half, and still he had found himself in the same spot when the older had approached him and held out his hand in greeting. “Johnny had already told me about you and what he thinks your abilities are. It sounds impressive, to say the least. I’m Jaehyun, and this is Jeno. It’s nice to meet you.”</p><p>“R-Renjun,” he had stuttered in return, taken the hand and shaken it in a quick greeting. For someone who had used so much force to throw his apprentice against a wall, the agent had taken his hand with so much tenderness as not many had done before. This, surely, was a whole new level of anything he had ever experienced before and the artist still was not sure how to feel about this.</p><p>What he did know, though, was that he was happy about the company. Sitting in a dark and isolated room was, after all, terrifying, so he appreciated Jeno’s daily visits a whole lot. Without being aware of it, his fingers started to move the pencil, the scratching sound of lead against paper audible and all proportions estimated by muscle memory alone. That was the good part about oftentimes drawing while in trance, with his consciousness someplace else than his body, so he didn’t have to worry about measurements when he knew them by instinct already.</p><p>“You say that as if you haven’t been around every other day,” the older pointed out, voice softer than usual but when everything felt so pressingly void of life around him, he really lacked the strength to use all of his vigor.</p><p>“I just didn’t realize why…” The mutter seemed forlorn and would he not have been hung up on a drawing, Renjun would have turned around at that point to see what this was about. They - well, Johnny or Jaehyun or maybe Doyoung - must have told him about his ability by now, the reason as to why he was put here rather than into proper training immediately.</p><p>It was one story even crazier than the one before and it had been a tad harder to believe than anything he had heard before.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Ji Hansol. Age unspecified. Location unknown. The first entirely bioengineered human. Created by Professor Lee and Professor Nakamoto as a Japanese-Korean joint experiment. Successful.</p><p>Frankenstein’s Monster created in reality. A perfect mixture of nanobot-based technology and lab grown tissue. A brain calibrated on algorithms of an AI.</p><p>It had been one great story while it lasted but not unlike the story of God and Lucifer, Hansol, too, could no longer understand why he was kept a secret from the world at one point. He had been branded a humane being yet he had been locked away for all his life. Created with the image of humanity without any imperfections in mind, he should have been better than a guinea pig, better than something to be locked away in basements and facilities. So he had broken out.</p><p>One CCTV from the facility’s entrance had been the last visual record of him at that point and due to the chaos that had erupted that day, a bunch of accidents with several injured and a few dead, Professor Nakamoto had fallen victim to the uproar. Professor Lee had not been acquainted with the agency’s technics and intelligence but his son, always eager and ambitious, had been.</p><p>It had been some years later, when mutations had been found to a young child’s brain, that questions had come up. Professor Lee had recognized the pattern of cell generation and how everything had evolved. It was the very pattern he had co-produced while creating Hansol’s genetic makeup.</p><p>The kid that had been examined that day was a chirpy boy named Lee Donghyuck. The mutation of brain cells had created one distinct difference between him and others - there was no limitation on neuronal links. Whereas an average human could only create so many, resulting in forgetting old and unused knowledge or abilities in favor of new ones, Donghyuck’s brain would just keep linking everything together. In short: a super brain.</p><p>When another of his kind showed up, and then another, it was also Donghyuck to come to the following conclusion: Ji Hansol was leaving his traces around the country by creating new biomechanisms, fusions of him and average humans.</p><p>It took another dozen or some children popping up, not all of them surviving actually, that they finally found the connection between all the cases: the pregnant mothers had been dependant on blood donations. Further investigation had lead to finding records of Ji Hansol working in blood donation laboratories, infusing blood bags at random with sequences of his own DNA to create the merges. The interesting thing was, though, that he never showed up around the families, the hospitals, he never checked on what his spontaneous mutations might result in. An unsolvable quiz until the solution had come in form of Nakamoto Yuta.</p><p>Professor Lee had been a weak man, born with a faulty heart, and he had no longer been able to see the progress of Hansol’s doing. By the time he had passed, his partner’s son had heard about everything thanks to working for the government, and as per request of junior agent Lee Taeyong he had come to aid. Trained in psychology rather than combat, the Japanese professor’s son had figured that, influenced by who he had been raised by, Hansol wanted nothing more than succeed his parents. He was a scientist by nature but not by heart. He wanted to experiment but he was not attached. It was like a child pouring too much detergent into the machine but not staying to watch it produce too much foam. A creation with attachment issues.</p><p>That had been the birth of a special unit within the agency - Unit NCT. Specialized in tracking down those affected by the genetic makeup of Ji Hansol and with the aim of making them successors to their agenda, they normally paired one of the Specials with a normal agent, people like Doyoung who only knew how to read machines, Jaehyun and Jeno who were, still, humans, mutations born from superior genetic makeup, not external meddling. </p><p>But Renjun... Renjun was one of the Specials. The mutations had targeted his eyes, the artificial tissue had been stronger than natural ones which explained his heightened sight but more than that, the nano mechanisms within his blood had evolved. Taeil had said it was like an inborn ability to hijack satellites and yet it was way more special. Rather than hacking his mind into machines, he was connecting to the same gene material stuck in another body, he was spying on those who were like him and able to see what they saw. The very reason why he was so focused on Johnny or Donghyuck but had remained oblivious to Jeno or Jisung.</p><p>The higher the stress on either of them was, the likelier it was for Renjun to see with their eyes. Positive or negative, he’d respond to it, paint it, see it. An ability without limitations, according to Doyoung, and with intrinsic factors not to be copied by humanity for another several dozen years. Nature, still, was superior to the crafts of humankind. The reason why his ability to see could never be transferred to the artificial eyes for the brain was a way better storage disc than a computer the size of a golf ball.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>The scratching of his pencil against the paper stopped when Renjun deemed his drawing finished, so he made his way over to the bed, to where Jeno was sprawled out. Furniture was easier to assess than a living human so he had to feel around a bit until he was able to straddle the younger’s waist, head lowered as if looking down would magically unveil the beauty of the boy beneath him but it was still blackout dark within the room. </p><p>Over the count of one dozen days of Jeno visiting, he had gradually become braver. It was easy to lose himself in the dark, give up his shy and awkward self when nothing could be seen and only the sound of their breathing echoed throughout the room. “Do you keep coming here because you’ll be my partner later on?”</p><p>Hands felt warm against his bare thighs. Staying alone in a room like this meant he had quickly forsaken the ideas of getting dressed properly, only threw on whatever shirt he found in the closet and new underwear, the bare minimum for when he had a visitor and to cover up around the cameras surely installed, but shorts, pants, socks, they were all unnecessary when he was alone more often than not. Being in a room like this also meant they had to rely on hearing and touch a lot more than outside, the caress of fingers against flesh had become normal and when no one could see, there was no reason to hesitate.</p><p><i>The naughty room. </i>It suddenly received a new meaning.</p><p>“You or Jaemin,” Jeno replied, honest, ever so honest. It had Renjun’s heart stopping for a moment before it picked up double its original speed and at this point he wasn’t even sure whether it was because of those words or the hand that had gradually slid further up. There had been a fault in their idea, it was not smart to lock two teenagers into one secluded room, at the time when their needs were still at their prime or maybe that was the exact reason. </p><p>Taeyong was with Jaehyun. Yuta was with Sicheng. Doyoung was with Jungwoo. They were with Lucas. Ten was with Johnny. </p><p>Not always was it about pairing a Special with an agent but seemingly there was a pattern, trust was heavily influenced by personal connections and they had them. Love was one.</p><p>Renjun was not sure whether he was played or not but nightfall made people brave and he was shut into darkness so he could experience himself as he was. It was not made better by the fact they kept sending in a boy he knew was handsome, someone who might even have been trained into seducing him, into seducing Jaemin, because he still had not met that mysterious boy who was a constant to their talks regardless.</p><p>“Do you also do this with him?” The artist asked, sliding his hands up, fingers dancing across fabric, feeling the hard planes of muscles beneath until there was bare skin again. His fingers curled around Jeno’s nape, other hand travelling to cup his cheek as he leaned down. Before their lips could meet, he changed direction and just rested his weight on top of the younger’s, hid his face in the crook of shoulder and neck and simply inhaled the sweet scent of peaches. It was a surprisingly cute choice of shower gel scent for someone who used such raw strength but somehow it fit the boy. And it made Renjun smile whenever he caught a whiff of it.</p><p>“I do.” Honest. Always so honest. “But it’s different. Jaemin was one of the first to join here. I don’t need to touch him to gain his trust, I touch him because I trust him.”</p><p>It must be the closest to a confession that would ever be spoken into the void of the room and it made Renjun’s heart flutter in affection and admiration rather than jealousy. He was not jealous, it was too negative of an emotion, but he was envious of a bond he had never been able to create. The kind of bond he, too, wanted to share with Jeno, and the only thing that scared him was that he was not certain whether it was a wish born from solitude and sexual appeal or some deeper interest that would only grow by the time he had regained his freedom.</p><p>As much as he had a lack of when he was inside this room voluntarily. Taeil had warned him about this, how it could drive some people crazy to be caged like this for too long so he should tell them before it would reach this point. Jeno was an extension of a security system Renjun had set up. But Jeno was also a pawn used against him in case he wanted to stay with the agency after having been taught how to control the hijacking on will.</p><p>“So you don’t trust me?” The smaller asked, feeling how his breath broke against flesh and met his lips again. He didn’t need to see to know about the goosebumps spreading around the sensitive skin, it simply made him smile as he put a gentle kiss against the pulse point that fluttered beneath his teeth.</p><p>An immediate response was not verbal but a little amused huff. Followed by strong arms tightening around his waist as Jeno asked, “Do you trust me?”</p><p>Jeno was warm. His embrace felt more like home than his mother’s ever had and it was comfortable. It was something Renjun had unknowingly craved, a person and a place where he could not be judged, where he was not deemed crazy for visions he couldn’t control nor regarded as nothing for easy money if only handed a brush and some paint. That alone turned this room equal parts into punishment and freedom, a place that had him entirely secluded from the world, unable to watch what others saw or to be seen for what he was not. The only reason it didn’t turn him crazy was because there were no walls, no cause of suspecting his surroundings of their intentions because at least Jeno was honest.</p><p>“Touche.” The Chinese couldn’t help grinning into the younger’s neck before he moved up a bit. His lips stayed connected to skin, guiding him on their journey to find their match.</p><p>This room also meant freedom because there was nothing to hide in impenetrable darkness. There was honesty in their actions, in the way their fingers lingered and lips met. Not only in words. With every kiss they shared, Renjun could feel his heart break free from its restraints and even an act as sinful as having their tongues dance to a silent tune felt innocent when it came without ill intent. If only he could, he would want to stay in this moment forever, just remain in Jeno’s arms, with their mouths relentlessly moving and the heat of their bodies shared. He just wanted to put all the pieces of skin he was allowed to touch to memory so in his mind he could create the perfect image of the boy beneath him as they shared their breath.</p><p>Until he was allowed to see again, he just wanted to feel. Skin against skin, feelings within his heart. He wanted to know what it was to be him. But he also wanted to cross the final lines when he was able to see. When he was able to feel Jeno’s trust the moment they became one.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>It had been over three weeks when Renjun was finally allowed to leave his temporary quarters because, as Yuta had said and been quoted by Jeno, “Johnny has been on too many missions for you to not catch the drift and Donghyuck is a nuisance.” The latter half the Chinese had not really put attention to, he was, by no means, involved with the young genius and he had hardly spent a thought on him throughout the time they had slowly increased the luminance within the room to get him accustomed to the outside circumstances again.</p><p>The words only came back to him when he had grabbed his few things and too many sketches of the homo sapiens superioris, as he had dubbed the double-J team, and was about to leave the room only to be greeted by one annoying tone saying, “Can’t believe someone actually broke Dejun’s record. Which says a lot, that kid only hibernated in there.”</p><p>With nearly one month passing since his arrival, Renjun had efficiently grown to be aware of how he should question anything happening in here. As normal as the outside world was, quite as different was it in here. Jeno had told him about too many people with too strange abilities for him to even consider wondering about the mechanisms behind. Not like his eyes copying Johnny’s sight or Donghyuck’s wasn’t already enough.</p><p>“I had good enough company,” the older merely pointed out, then tilted his head in question. If the tan boy had gone out of his way to greet him at the door, there must be something more to it than wanting to congratulate him on his new record alone. If it were psychological evaluating, Yuta or Taeil would be here rather than the same year born so why? </p><p>Instead of an immediate reply, the younger simply began to chatter around, too many snarky comments to be considered polite but with an intellect like that, Renjun really doubted anyone could have an adequate EQ. At least the crime shows had been right in assuming that much. Then why was it Donghyuck to give him a tour around this floor of the base and not Jeno despite the countless visits before?</p><p>“He’s with Jaemin. And no, I can’t read thoughts. I simply know what you’ve gone through and they used the same tactic on me. They sent Mark to check on me whenever I holed myself up in the library too much and when I was finally ready to actually talk to him, Taeyong came in. He said expecting Mark at that point would be normal, that it was Yuta’s version of pavlovian reactions.”</p><p>“Sounds sick,” Renjun mumbled without properly thinking about it. Jeno had already told him that much but getting a confirmation from someone else was not really making it any better. Weird circumstances remained weird circumstances, no matter how many people wanted to protest it. “Is that how each of them hit it off too?”</p><p>“Nope,” Donghyuck denied, popping the p with delight and in perfect timing to the beeping sound of pressing the elevator button. “Yuta fell in love with Sicheng when he was threatened to get murdered. Johnny probably just has some sort of ear fetish. I think Jungwoo literally fell and had Lucas catch him - they are disgusting, by the way. Jaehyun and Taeyong might as well be the only normal ones of the bunch. As long as you don’t knock their locked doors.”</p><p>The new boy didn’t even wonder where all that came from, he had already been warned about the extensive amount of gossip within their tight group and no one so far had been safe from hearing abilities or body language readings or even tiny spying robots. It was crazy, batshit. Like the stuff comics or comedic superhero movies were made of. Maybe that explained why no one expected it, standards were lowered and raised by mass media and thus no one anticipated it to actually play out like that. What a nice strategy. </p><p>“So what about you and Mark?” Renjun asked, not merely out of sheer curiosity but because he had caught the older boy way too often around Donghyuck to not feel suspicious towards them. It was one thing seeing it through a first person view, another matter entirely when it was so obvious seeing it from an outside standing.</p><p>Mr Genius looked, to say the least, scandalized at that question and, without regards to his surroundings or the elevator stopping a few floors too soon, remarked, “I’d never date an idiot like that. He has an obsession with watermelons, that ain’t normal.”</p><p>“Hi, Haechan,” said watermelon obsessor interrupted, receiving nothing but an eye roll from the mentioned who simply went on, “Also, did you see my IQ chart? How can that” - Donghyuck vaguely gestured at Mark - “compare?”</p><p>“Love you too, Haechan,” said <i>that</i> pointed out and, with a polite small and ignoring flabbergasted Donghyuck, the agent turned around and held out his hand. “I’m Mark. I don’t think we’ve officially met so far but John and Jeno talk a lot about you so please, feel at home with us.”</p><p>Renjun hesitated for another moment before grabbing the offered hand, muttering a silent, “Sure…” In a way it was likely just fair, he had gotten to observe their lives for years so for them to hear about him from an agent who had casted him and another with yet undetermined goals and ambitions kind of put them on equal grounds. Which didn’t make it any more comfortable regardless, he had no control over what others told about him and that made him sort of restless. No matter how kind of Mark it was to introduce himself regardless of what he might have heard in advance.</p><p>“They only talk to you because you lack the capabilities to question what they tell you.” Donghyuck’s snort was anything but pretty and seemed emphasized by the fact Renjun was dragged out of the elevator before Mark couldn’t even reply in any way. They must have reached the living quarters, by the looks of it, and that the artist felt somewhat more comfortable with. Some of them he was already familiar with, knew that, despite all their bickering, the couple from the elevator shared a cozy loft, something he only knew thanks to Donghyuck’s stress levels skyrocketing whenever his roommate came out of the bathroom after a shower so, yes, thanks, Renjun had seen too much.</p><p>He didn’t actually know about the other alignments, neither knew he about his so he was fairly surprised when they stopped in front of one door and he was handed a keycard by his guide. With the doors opened, his amazement didn’t yet stop. Mostly all of the living quarters were directed to the inside yards to prevent outside attacks, logically, yet he hadn’t anticipated to have the short hallway for shoes and jackets leading to one grand joint living room and kitchen that opened up to the yards with nearly floor-to-ceiling windows. Those seemed to have a pretty Dutch concept, as much as Renjun could conclude after his one time hosting an exhibition there, with the windowsills being low but wide to allow sitting down and they were already decorated with seating cushions and throw pillows. Whoever had set up this room, in first place, had put a focus on making it cozy but not too catalogue, fit for younger people without looking too tacky. </p><p>“I think that one’s your room,” the younger interrupted his train of thoughts and pushed the single door on the right side of the room open. Maybe half the size of the common room, there were two comfortably sized single beds separated by one double desk in between. The shelves on one side of the furniture construction were already stacked with CDs, books about medicine and science, as well as some polaroids stuck onto fairy lights. Not wanting to meddle, Renjun didn’t dare inspect them, much rather he was distracted by the several boxes that seemed to be placed in his half of the room, his name in Chinese characters written on the cardboard and the hint of that alone was enough to have him surging forward.</p><p>Indeed, most of them were filled with his art materials, conveniently placed in the little organisatory shelves he had put them into and the whole of them just lifted into the boxes for transportation. But there was everything he had craved, his paints, brushes, pencils and crayons, his collection of sketchbooks of several sizes and the canvasses he had not yet painted over. Heaven on earth designed for him alone.</p><p>“If you need any new furniture for all that, tell Johnny or Jaehyun,” Donghyuck advised before turning to the end of the room that faced the windows, pushing aside the curtain that gave entrance to a measly filled walk-in wardrobe. “Put your clothes here. The bathroom you probably gotta share with them, it’s on the other side. Just use whatever’s there, we only fetched you some basic stuff until the last of your stuff arrives. Are you even staying for good?”</p><p>Too lost sorting through all his art supplies and checking whether anything was missing, Renjun had hardly paid attention to what had been said. Still he found it in him to lash out when an unfamiliar hand touched his shoulder, screeching from the sound of it surprising him.</p><p>“Jesus,” the young genius exclaimed without any emotion interlaced. “I didn’t mean to kill you or anything. But Taeil might if you show up late to his tea time so we probably should get going now.”</p><p>With a short nod Renjun agreed, only checking one last time for the drawings he had dropped onto his bed. No one would just check them out anyways, right? Privacy should be a thing, even if he had to share his room with someone else. Only belatedly, when they made their way through the building again, did he realize that for someone having just regained his most important sense he really didn’t feel affected by it. When had he stopped considering sight as a gift? And when had the darkness grown into something as normal as the light?</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>The first he met the very peculiar Na Jaemin was not that same night when he returned to his new place of living. Illuminated by the sun, the apartment had looked cozy and warm, a good place to live in. A striking contrast to how desolate and dark it looked at night, the classy earth tones looking gloomy without the rays to shine on them and the cutting edge design of the furniture in all their modern aspect looked sharp and dangerous suddenly. </p><p>There was the sound of the shower running and a telltale glow from beneath the bathroom door that told of someone’s presence. It was something he could not feel surprised about anymore, Donghyuck had warned him about this already. He was rooming with Jeno and Jaemin, not because of a lack of space but because eventually either of them would partner with Jeno and living together worked effectively in bringing them closer and apart alike. In a way, it reminded him of that one documentary he had watched about military life before, and most definitely it was not too unlike what took place around here.</p><p>Room squads together so they’d grow fond of each other and thus, in times of need, there was deeper trust and a sense of reliability. Put them into the same clothes so there’s a feeling of uniformity, of belonging to one grand scheme, like ants working on their hill. Punish a whole garrison for the mistake of one so there can be responsibility and the need to look out for each other. In theory, it is interesting. In reality, Renjun could already sense how it would tire him out.</p><p>Because at the end of the day, this was not so unlike a military base - they trained together, ate together, lived together. They were combined in a way that resembled their future because no matter what team they were put into, everyone wanted to come home to their partner, be it romantic or platonic, someone who felt like home and offered a soothing embrace. Basic needs, as his high school teacher might have said, and sometimes he felt relief for not taking a deeper interest in psychology or he would have overthought each and every little thing. The amount of questioning he had done so far was already more than exhausting.</p><p>Against his expectation of being greeted well, of saying hello to Jeno and meeting his other roommate, what expected him in the shared room were fairy lights turned on and a tuft of dirty blonde hair peeking out from beneath a blanket cocoon. So much to meeting his actual roommate. With a sigh, and silently as possible, he moved to one of his suitcases to pull out some shorts and a shirt to wear to bed, changing into those quickly, before he moved to the bathroom to take care of his evening hygiene too. It was there that he met Jeno again, recognizing him more by the scent of his shower gel that stuck around so evidently when leaving the bathroom, than anything else.</p><p>“I already thought I heard something,” the younger had greeted him with a whisper and leaned in to press a kiss to Renjun’s forehead before the latter could even react. “Good night. Sleep well.”<br/>
That was all of Jeno he saw for that night, and short as it was, to happen in the dark once again was soothing. Without knowing, it had been words that soothed his heart, too, and once he was done in the bathroom and settled in bed, sleep came all the easier to him. </p><p>The first time he actually ran into Na Jaemin was the morning after, when sun rays tickling his face woke him up and, from his position turned towards the window, he could see the other bed was empty and the blanket straightened out already, looking tidy and neat. Whoever had that kind of energy in the mornings was not human. But then again, apparently he was not entirely human either so was he even allowed to judge? With a grunt he rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in his pillow, might even have stayed there if not for the mouthwatering scent of breakfast wafting into the room. Sitting up was still a strain, coming to his senses gave him time to look around the room, though, taking note of how some DIY shelves had been readied for him to put his things on when he had the time, the drawings he had placed on his side of the desk were in a disarray and some had even be taped to the ceiling. To be exact, the rather risky drawings of Jeno had been taped to the ceiling, and why someone would go through the effort to put them there was a mystery to Renjun. Apparently it had been worth it to his roommate, since they were right above the other bed.</p><p>Some of his clothes, too, had been taken out of his suitcase and arranged in the closet, and he wasn’t sure how to actually feel about that. It was easing his workload a tad and it were only shirts, as much as he could see, but someone had gone through his stuff without asking regardless. For a second he considered it, whether it was worth it to get upset about that, but when another wave of delicious smells hit him, he figured that making food definitely outweighed the breach of privacy. </p><p>With a yawn he clambered out of bed and moved into the common area, to find Jeno seated at the breakfast bar with some coffee and several side dishes spread out, while some stranger (Na Jaemin, his brain provided) was working the stove currently. And despite how close he was with Jeno, the many hours they had spent in the dark - talking, cuddling, making out, staying apart - were not the least enough to prepare him for the flurry of feelings that hit him all at once.</p><p>Jeno during their first meet had been handsome, despite not saying much and having bruises all over himself. Jeno in the dark had been intriguing, his features something Renjun had explored with his hands and lips rather than his eyes. Jeno bathed in the morning sun, though, was a whole visual attack. The soft golden shine was bringing out the sharpness of his features, the happy curve of his eyes while munching his food was endearing, his lips plump and rosy either from kissing or the heat of the coffee and licking over them once too often in between eating, the perfect mixture of sharp and soft. And Renjun hadn’t even looked below his face yet, because one short glimpse of Jeno’s bare upper body had been enough to send his hormones on a rollercoaster for which it was way too early.</p><p>“If you stare, you’ll be sated without having eaten,” a lilting, unknown, voice called out, therefore immediately drawing Renjun’s attention. In a way, the other boy was just like Jeno, a perfect mixture of sharp and soft, just in different ways. A jawline that looked to distinct with the current light and that had his fingers itching for a pencil to sketch it out, eyes that were wide and in a child’s face might easily be discovered as innocent, thin and even lips that would only look better with some glossy effect. </p><p>Maybe he had gone bonkers after all, no way was he living with two people as handsome like this and all his coping mechanisms kicked in at once. His back straightened, his fingers curled into fists, and his eyebrows furrowed, and the least he managed to do was not say anything out loud that he might regret next. Before he could even think of that, he quickly turned on his heels and headed to the bathroom because, one, he hated having stale morning breath and, two, maybe some cold water in his face would get his senses back once and for all. </p><p>Without noting, he must have taken longer than he had thought, for when he came back, Jeno was done with breakfast and had exchanged places with Jaemin so the stranger could settle at the breakfast bar and eat. There was only one free seat and from the untouched setting, Renjun could easily deduct it was meant for him. The homo superioris, meanwhile, had moved to sit on the counter, bathing in the morning light and looking ethereal in ways the artist wasn’t sure whether to perpetuate on paper or ruin with a fist to the face. This, all of this, was too much for his poor brain that had been within a psychiatric ward seemingly only days ago, because the dark room felt like nothing more than a black hole of his memory by now.</p><p>Instead, he silently settled at the counter, muttering a silent thanks as he picked up his chopsticks and unsurely picked at some piece of meat. He didn’t need to look up to know Jaemin and Jeno were conversing without words, there just was something about them, and the little destructive side of his used that moment to ask, “Why did you hang up my drawings?” Renjun himself wasn’t sure whether that was an accusation or not.</p><p>“Oh, those!” His roommate exclaimed, as if only now recalling his actions, and clapped his hands once. Within zero point one seconds he turned serious and answered, “They’re cute.”<br/>
Renjun nearly choked on his bite when hearing that. Who, in their right state of mind, considered rather risky drawings of their friends as cute? It weren’t even those that depicted Jeno in the military gear he had seen on Johnny on times, no, it were those he had sketched after their makeout sessions, when his hands had slid beneath Jeno’s shirt on an excursus and he had felt every ripple of muscles, every little twitch of them, and put them onto paper.</p><p>“What drawings?” Jeno asked and, oh, if his tone wasn’t adorable. It soothed the aching of his throat and in any other situation and with a different topic in question, Renjun would have immediately answered but, as it was, he definitely was not about to admit having drawn about ninety percent of his naked body. Admittedly, he had to improvise on below the belt a lot because they never went that far but… far enough.</p><p>“Those of you nak-” Jaemin didn’t get further with his words because, on instinct, the artist had moved his arm to elbow the other in the ribs. Not an action he did regret per se, it was justified, the recoil was nothing he anticipated though. Rather than his bone hitting ribs, inches away from his roommate’s shirt, it felt like hitting a bouncy wall, his arm getting pushed back with maybe triple the force he had initially used and that was it. His own hand hit his own face, and with a surprised yelp he fell out of his chair.</p><p>Throbbing kicked in immediately, the skin above his cheekbone and temple feeling hot from the collision, and the least he felt elevated about was the lack of dizziness. The bare minimum after getting hit by himself. Stuff like that usually happened when someone was what, one year old? Not as adult and renowned artist, and definitely it shouldn’t happen in front of someone’s kind of fling.</p><p>Warm fingers soothed over his swollen skin, the familiarity of the touch enough for him to know it was Jeno, not Jaemin. Despite his initial attack having been directed at the latter, though, he was about to knee the homo superioris when he felt those same digits pressing into his wound. Maybe Jeno saw it coming for his knees were gently eased onto the ground before he could even lift them, so all that remained to do was yelping in pain. </p><p>“It’s just bruised. We’ll cool it for a bit but aside from some shading nothing much should happen,” the younger assured quickly, then was gone as soon as he had come and foreign hands hurled him up and back into the seat again.</p><p>Once he was able to open up his eyes again, he was met with Jaemin’s guilty face, looking no better than a puppy after getting scolded. “I’m really, really, sorry! People usually know better than to attack me so I didn’t expect it from you either…”</p><p>“If he doesn’t use <i>armor</i>, the whole apartment would be a wreckage,” Jeno supplied as he carefully pressed a cooling bag to Renjun’s temple, who took it in with a slight grumble. Didn’t mean anything of what they said made sense to him, though. As much as he had heard about Jaemin, which wasn’t actually that much - like, good, he knew Jaemin had some abnormal taste with coffee or cilantro or sweets, liked peaches and basketball, and cheated a lot on arm wrestling or else there’d be no way he would be able to keep up with Jeno, or that he was one great kisser - he had no ideas what expertise his powers were. All he knew in that aspect was that Jaemin was a special, just like him, but all of them were unique so their powers differed.</p><p>“Magnetic fields,” the victim-attacked said, in a way that seemed nearly shy, but all Renjun could do was give him a confused look. Being a giant pole attracting metal stuff hardly explained why he had been hit, of all things. “Gravity.” Okay, that kind of explained it. Kind of.</p><p>“Huh?” The artist made in confusion, furrowing his brows for a second but even that had him wincing in pain so he quickly relaxed his features again. Not that he couldn’t wrap his head around that, it explained why his arm had just bounced off and how Jaemin had so easily stuck the drawings to the ceiling but at the same time, it was just too science fiction for him. He loved aliens, he loved science, he loved conspiratory theories. He could deal with having visions and accept the scientific explanation to it, no matter how nonsensical it seemed, because it was something he was used to, something he had experienced. But gravitational manipulation?</p><p>Jeno either had sensed his mood or neither wanted to talk about it. Whatever it was, Renjun felt somewhat relieved when gentle fingers combed back his hair and the fighter simply reasoned, “You should eat some more. I’ve caught a glimpse of your schedule and you really want to gather your strengths before having to go through that, Renjun.”</p><p>At least in that point Jaemin seemed to agree, so the artist heeded their advice with a low grunt and dug into his food once more, albeit still careful of his eating speed thanks to how much the side of his face throbbed in pain.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Renjun had never had the taste of defeat on his lips as evidently as these recent days. Taeil and Johnny, who were mostly in charge of his training, had tried about anything to trigger one of his visions, but he hadn’t had one in a while. Only once, after parting from Jaemin after their first shared lunch, had his sight shifted to another hallway, and he had promptly walked into a door. As it turned out, it had been his roommate going into the opposite direction, and it had been an accidental one. Whenever the two agents tried, though, he saw nothing, and they had tried a lot - they had put him under physical stress, tried sensory overload, had put Johnny into a fighting simulation, had locked him into a room with art utensils. The last had proven to be the most effective and ineffective at once, since he had finally finished another art piece and told Taeil to keep the money in case it was to be sold, but it hadn’t been induced by a the trance-like hijacking.</p><p>Sometime during his just laying face down, he must have drifted off, for when he came to, it was dark outside, and he was laying on his side with another body pressed to his back. Jaemin’s bed was empty in front of him, but that could mean little to nothing. His roommate often came back later than him, so it might as well have been Jeno. Just that it didn’t feel like Jeno. The thought alone had him ready to elbow Jaemin, with the only thing holding him back being the memory of the last time he had tried to. “What do you think you are doing?”</p><p>“Helping you relax,” the younger muttered, hot breath fanning against Renjun’s neck and driving him all the more crazy. “You must be disappointed. Everyone around you is doing so well, showing so much talent, but you are still lacking, can’t control your abilities and nothing goes the way you want.”</p><p>The words were worse than the proximity, stripped him bare in ways his clothes never could, and it had him feel angry on instinct. He was tired of people making assumptions of him, of his own customers calling him crazy for something he was not at fault of, of Taeil and Johnny reading into his emotions or Jaemin trying to analyze what he felt. So he snapped. “What do you think you’re knowing? Just because we’re sharing a room and Jeno, it doesn’t mean you know me at all! So shut up and-”</p><p>“I’m the same,” Jaemin interrupted, and that confession was surprising enough to shut the artist down at once, while the grip around his waist tightened all at once. “I’ve been here longer than you and I still can’t control myself. I’m around for nearly as long as Haechan so I should be able to do better than that, and I might have gone crazy with frustration by now if not for Jeno. There’s nothing bad about not getting the hang of it immediately, you just have to find a way that works for you, Injun.”</p><p>Renjun would have protested the nickname if only he could. But he couldn’t. For the world flipped upside down before he knew it and then it felt like those unrealistic wormhole animations from sci-fi movies. The first thing he saw was their room, but there was a bit more distance to his original spot, and when hair in his color blocked his sight, he realized why. Jaemin again. It didn’t stop there, though, however he was wormholed to another place. </p><p>The roof above him was too far away. Corrugated iron. It looked like any stereotypical crime scene warehouse ever had, and it wasn’t a sight that was new to him. To only be able to see was disconcerting, he couldn’t feel whatever the person he had hacked felt, couldn’t hear what they heard, couldn’t taste or smell. He only saw.</p><p>There was a flicker of light, likely from a torch swaying around, and the person turned onto their stomach and crawled somewhere else, likely to seek cover somewhere. When they turned around, something wet was glistening on the ground, tracing along the floor up to a leg that lay immobile. It took a second, another, then Renjun realized why it looked familiar. The gun strapped to the sturdy thigh were the ones Johnny used to shoot, the thigh garter connected to the belt an assortment of ammunition that did nothing to hide the hole ripped through the pants. In short, Johnny was shot, likely still surrounded by enemies, in a warehouse aliens knew where, and on his own.</p><p>With a panicked gasp Renjun returned to his own body, aware of how there was little to no time to spare. He didn’t even bother to inform Jaemin of what he had seen as he just shot out of bed, ignorant to how his own roommate must have changed his clothes, how he wore little more than an oversized shirt, as he rushed through their apartment and out through the door. There was no stopping him on his mission to inform whoever, or that’s what he thought, until he ran into Jeno in the hallway. Jeno, who was always reliable and caught him with steady arms before he could fall down to the ground. It did nothing to deter his panic.</p><p>“Johnny,” he gasped, looking at the other and, on instinct, reaching for the fighter’s hand to just drag him along. “He’s in danger, he-” What even? Was on a mission? Wasn’t that one of the risks of a mission? It should be something to be prepared for but then again, likely no one but him had ever seen one of their comrades in a state as miserable like that.</p><p>White flashed in front of him, then his vision went black, until a single burst of light interrupted the dark. Like fingers snapping to get someone out of hypnosis, the image of the warehouse went sharp around him again, and some several meters away, a body fell dead to the ground. The gun he could see had no silencer, and without ever having held a gun in his own hands, Renjun was aware what that meant. Sound would carry throughout the warehouse and other people would know where Johnny was. Johnny who couldn’t move well with his injury and had to remain in place where he could see anyone approach. It was a good defense to the front, until people would grow wary of the corpses and use something other than bullets for attack or moved to a higher spot to reach him from a different angle.</p><p>Imagining that alone had the boy break into a cold sweat and he collapsed the moment he was freed from Johnny’s conscious again. At least Jeno must have gotten that what he had seen had been serious, for more voices echoed around him, and the familiar voice he was so used to grounding him in the dark was calmly explaining about Renjun’s mentor being caught on a mission, as if he had seen it all on his own. Blindly the artist reached for his friend’s - were they even friends? - hand, just that rather than closing his fingers around another set of, he had to pry his digits open first. Clatter resounded from the ground and he didn’t even need to look to know what it was. A pencil. He had drawn. That’s why Jeno knew.</p><p>Still, a wave of calmness overcame him like cold water hitting his overheated body in summer, when their fingers finally intertwined, and he drew strength from that. Enough to calm his erratic breathing and regain his thinking abilities, even managed to sit up. For the first time he was able to see what he had drawn and, to say the least, it was a mess. </p><p>The ballpoint sketch had nothing of the elegance of his usual drawings, his stress was evident in the messy lines and how he had gone over them again, and again. There was the sort of alleyway Johnny was hiding in, framed by containers, and the corpse at the end of it. There was a gun held out and a hand covered in blue imitation of red. There was the armed leg, decorated in a gun and bullets and one so messily drawn wound that had left traces everywhere. How Jeno had made sense of that, remained a mystery to him.</p><p>“Thank you,” he whispered, presumably too silent for anyone to hear, but the homo superioris must have. For the next moment Renjun found his face pressed into soft fabric covering hard planes of muscles and he was surrounded by the soothing scent of the younger. His arms came to wrap around Jeno on instinct, pulling him closer while little shudders wrecked his body. Now he could only hope that his visions had overcome him soon enough.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“Jaehyun got him out,” were words that greeted him good morning the next day, and Renjun couldn’t even be surprised when he found himself not beneath his own grey blanket but a fuzzy white one. It smelled of Jeno, so there was that. Didn’t exactly explain the heat sandwiching him but it was soothing enough. “Johnny had told him to stay on standby for cases like that but when he got the call, Jaehyun went in. They arrived half an hour or something ago so Johnny is still in surgery but he’ll survive.”</p><p>Just hearing that, was enough for Renjun to calm down in an instant, and he pressed closer to the front, where Jeno’s words rumbled through his chest and sent pleasant vibrations down the smaller’s body. For the first time, his ability had been of use. Being able to see had saved someone’s life. Johnny’s life. Because he was already absurdly attached to the older who had treated him nicer than even his own parents ever had.</p><p>“You did well,” Jeno went on, and soft lips met his forehead. The warmth from behind him pressed closer again but the artist wasn’t able to spare another thought on that as sleep overcame him once again.</p><p><br/>
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</div>“Johnny and Jaehyun team up a lot because their actual partners aren’t in favor of missions as much. Taeil is better at staying behind and he’s focused on counseling, after all. And Taeyong has to do a lot of theoretical stuff in exchange. I’m not saying they’re bad at fighting or anything, but they’re definitely of more use at the headquarters. So since Johnny isn’t allowed to go out on his own, he most often covers Jaehyun. Or rather, Jaehyun covers him. They do a lot of recon stuff so Johnny’s shooting abilities are of better use than Jaehyun’s MMA, thus Johnny goes in alone a lot and Jaehyun acts as support system from the outside. But yesterday, they had somehow blocked off communications so Jaehyun was blind. Without you-”<p>That much Donghyuck had explained during lunch, during one another of his mind reading sessions when seeing Renjun’s confusion about a distressed Taeil sitting at another table, currently getting comforted by the very Jaehyun himself. The fighter was sporting too many bruises to count, without taking note of that himself, but their team leader, Taeyong, must, if his worried gaze was anything to go by. Albeit it might also be directed at Taeil.</p><p>Losing someone close normally was hard to stomach. Renjun himself had once needed to bury his own pet bunny and whilst Mr Exo had been but an animal and stuck with him for only three years, he could easily imagine how much more horrible it must be to lose someone even closer. Just thinking of losing Jeno, now, would drive him crazy already. And whilst they had been informed it was no longer life threatening, it didn’t eradicate all the distress and worries at once.</p><p>“Renjun.” The voice behind him sounded stern enough for the boy to nearly shoot out of his chair as he stood up, face to face with the man he vaguely recognized as Yuta. “Johnny wants to see you.” As if that was settled, the older turned his head to the other table and simply stated, “Taeil.” It was enough to have Renjun’s healthy mentor clamber out of his chair and come up to the teen, simply putting a hand between his shoulder blades to guide him forth. </p><p>The infirmary was one of the places he was hardly familiar with, maybe because people around there were usually tranquilized, he had never received any visions from them. He also hadn’t needed to do a health checkup upon entering the agency as all that had done two weeks prior when he had been moved into the psychiatric ward. Now he kind of regretted it when one of the facility staff gave him a once over, a glance that lasted merely seconds and already did he feel like a guinea pig. Maybe he actually was, it was easy to imagine people from the practical medical field to be as interested in Specials as were research-based scientists. </p><p>“You’re the new one, right?” The doctor asked and held out her hand in greeting, her face not moving much but her eyes were twinkling with warmth. Renjun only grasped her hand shortly, never really having enjoyed to be around doctors in first place, not since he had been called more or less an attention whore by his pediatrician as a child when he had first talked about his visions. “Nice to meet you. I’m Irene and I guess I’m the one in charge here.”</p><p>“Renjun,” the boy answered, still a bit flustered but a wave of relief washed over him when he saw Taeil waving him over from the corner of his eyes, before disappearing into one of the rooms. The ward was architecturally interesting, the centerpiece shaped round rather than cubic and the different rooms spread out like sun rays, completing a two-seventy. How exactly it was fit into the building wasn’t something Renjun wanted to question right now, but the logistics behind it were easy to get, as the screens attached next to the doors were easier to observe and check for irregularities rather than a straight line.</p><p>With a little nod of the head he hushed past the doctor, and into the room Taeil had entered moments before him. It was spacious, to say the least, with one bed placed against the wall and little to no furniture demanding space around, aside from some cupboards to likely store medical equipment. Actually, that was about all, with no TV or chance for entertainment in sight.</p><p>His two mentors were already conversing, exchanging some little words that Renjun took delight in merely observing. There was an easy dynamic to the two of them, words were exchanged but there seemed to be more meaning to them than met the eyes. Watching them was comfortable, and if he wanted to indulge in his fantasies a bit, he could easily imagine the flow of fuzzy orange and yellow around them, soft colors that warmed the heart and soul, that felt like a sunny summer day. It was different to Jaehyun’s and Taeyong’s sparkling rosy tones or Mark’s and Donghyuck’s sparking flashes of red. All of them were unique, and Renjun loved to see it, wondered what it would make of him later on. Staying like this, he didn’t even mind not having been taken note of just yet.</p><p>“You’re the one who found him, right?” The doctor asked next to him, her steps so silent he hadn’t even heard her approach his side. “He was lucky - the wound, and thanks to you. The bullet penetrated the Tensor fascia latae and Rectus femoris. These are not yet life threatening but it graced his deep femoral vein so if it had dragged on for longer, the risk of death by blood loss would have increased by the minute. I heard Jaehyun was cut off from Johnny so it was only thanks to you Jae got to him in time.”</p><p>For a second he went back, to the warehouse, to the blood on the floor. The injured leg. The dead body dropping to the ground. His brain filled out the bits of memories he could not recall at the moment, like the color of the container he had not been able to catch when all he had seen was the dark liquid on the ground, like the pang of a bullet leaving the barrel without a silencer attached. The weight of a body falling as he had heard so often from observing Jeno in his breaks, flesh meeting gravel, echoing through the room.</p><p>“Renjun!” Johnny’s voice got him out of his reveries, hectic blinking helping the teen in getting his focus back on the field agent. Quickly he forced a smile onto his face and headed to the bed to greet the elder, only darting one final glance at the doctor who remained near the door. “I guess I need to thank you for saving my life, hm?”</p><p>“You need to indeed,” Irene called from her spot, corners of her mouth hardly visible as they tugged upwards. “I’ll give you ten and then I’ll send you off to dreamland again - deal?”</p><p>“Deal, doc,” Johnny agreed, and it was the last of her that was seen when she gave them a little wave before leaving them to the privacy of the room. A heavy sigh escaped him, sounding a bit too dramatic intentionally, though. “Wish she could give me Ten, too…”</p><p>Ten. Someone Renjun had only heard about before. Part of the Chinese branch of the same department. Hansol had been reported to have been seen there some months ago. The agent had been part of a former stealth unit. Specialized in infiltration and assassination. Also, Johnny’s boyfriend. A long distance relationship. </p><p>“You can meet him in dreamland,” Taeil repeated what Irene had said earlier, and it made even Renjun smile. For a moment, it was facile to forget the circumstances of their current come together, the seriousness of the incident. That was, until Johnny tried to sit up but winced the moment his leg was jostled a bit too much.</p><p>It was an ugly reminder of what could have been, a realization that had the artists clenching his fingers around the seam of his sweater as he merely watched the older for some seconds more. “It wasn’t me,” he muttered, wringing the fabric between his hands. “Jaehyun saved your life. He went into that warehouse to get you out while what I did… It was coincidence.”</p><p>“And yet it saved me,” Johnny denied, voice soft, the movement of Renjun’s hands stopped. “Whether it was your intention or not doesn’t matter in this case. You heard her, I might have bled out and then there could have been ten Jays jumping in, none of them might have been on time had you not given the signal.”</p><p>Lightly, the younger smiled, feeling the strain in his cheeks from the forced action. “I’ll leave you to it then. Enjoy your left time and heal well,” he wished, hesitating for a moment but then still patted Johnny’s healthy leg lightly. “Sleep tight!” Not awaiting a reply, he turned on his heels and scurried out of the room, past Irene with little more than a nod of his head, eager to just leave the ward already. At long last, he could head back to his room and just hide underneath his blankets. This was too much for him. Too overwhelming at the moment. </p><p>He just wanted to rest.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello again! First of all, thanks to all of you who reached until this point! Usually I'd give more intricate details on thought processes while writing this but... it's a long time past? what's a brain?<br/>Jokes aside, I do have some mentions! First of all, though, if any of you are interested, I do have a<a href="https://twitter.com/starrymeis">twitter</a>  if any of you are interested and also a <a href="https://curiouscat.me/starrymeis%22">curiouscat</a> in case any of you are too shy to leave comments.</p><p>I actually did say it's a rather funny story of how I picked this up so...<br/>I think I've read some mutant au? spies au? something like that and for some reason, I remembered the details in the Boom MV and a bunch of thoughts came to my mind which I then forwarded to Gems.<br/>Typical her, she encouraged me, and I said I would want to finish my other story first. Spoiler alert: I did not and wrote the first scene of that. And from there on it just naturally progressed.</p><p>More doesn't come to my mind at the moment but I'm always open for any questions and/or constructive criticism you might have!</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Welcome back to round 2 everyone!</p><p>I don't actually want to spoiler too much of what's going on so I leave a commentary to the end, do wish you a joyful read though!</p><p>This time around, I don't think any major trigger warnings apply but do tell me if you feel anything is amiss!<br/>See you at the end again!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Before, agents, military, training, all that blah blah, had never been something Renjun had put his mind to at all. Sure, there was a constant on TV, there were crime dramas and action movies and all that jazz, but behind that cinematic stuff, there was a lot more hard work involved than he had ever considered. Currently, he regretted never having thought of that before because his legs were screaming for relief and his lungs were burning. He was an artist, he handled a paint brush while sitting in a studio. He didn’t work out. So whoever had thought it to be a good idea to send him on a morning run with Jeno had been completely bonkers. It was like a race between turtle and hare, except it didn’t have the fairy tale ending.</p><p>Instead, he was competing against a fricking machine because they had been running for ten minutes in a speed that was comfortable for Mr Captain Handsome and utter torture for Renjun, and while he was out of breath already, Jeno hadn’t even broken a sweat yet. Suddenly, he regretted not having taken Donghyuck up on his offer but then again, he wasn’t sure whether he could trust that kid either. The brains of the headquarters didn’t look exactly strong but the Chinese was assured of his theory that they could either pack a punch or run. Jeno was just a monster able to do both.</p><p>There was also the thing of how Renjun still felt awkward around the younger. One might argue that, after having made out so often before and having had some heartfelt talk, they might be closer now than before. Reality was different, though. The time in the dark room felt like a distant memory and so did their kisses. Now they were all about having breakfast together and verbally fighting for who’d get to shower first if they coincidentally arrived at the same time, but living with two kids who obviously thrived off their benefits was simply awkward. His only solace was to not have walked in on them yet. Or heard them. Actually, now that he thought about it-</p><p>“Did you and Jaemin void your deal?” He asked, or more like gasped and wheezed because air was short in his lungs and his throat was awfully squeezing up. Was this the point at which he would die because his stamina was so bad he choked himself to death? Or maybe he would just throw up but Jeno was a monster and had denied him breakfast before running. The devil incarnate.</p><p>For a second, he felt Jeno’s questioning gaze on him, before that robot of a being slowed down its pace. “Try to match your breathing and steps with me.” It sounded awkward. It was awkward. Regardless, Renjun thought that after some minutes his breath evened somewhat out. It didn’t go as smoothly as when he was sitting in front of an isle, yet it didn’t feel like suffocating alive either. Only thing left to suffer was the burning of his thighs and if he couldn’t walk for days after this, he was about ready to slam Jeno to the ground, MMA fighter or not.</p><p>It went on like this for a while, just running next to each other through the woods and matching their breath, nothing but the chirping of the birds around them. Any other day, Renjun might have appreciated it more, but in fact, his body felt like burning up and he might just pass out once they stopped so it was easier to go on running for now.</p><p>So much time passed, he even nearly forgot about his question. Until Jeno spoke up again, that was. “I put it on hold. Jaemin said it might weird you out and he knows people better than me. Jaehyun, too, said it’s a bit of a precarious situation when I asked him.”</p><p>In a way, it was funny. Renjun had always thought of himself as someone with their feelings in check, mostly because people told him to be crazy whenever he acted a bit too anything anyways - Jeno, though, he was even worse. It was a striking contrast, between feeling too little and sharing too much. Or rather, Renjun wasn’t even certain Jeno always knew exactly what he was feeling, there was always the feeling of a heart wrapped in bubble pack, something to be treated carefully. No denying Jeno felt, a whole lot even, but all feelings seemed blurry, there was no hate but only fuzzy dislike, no love but widespread affection, no bouncing happiness but subtle joy. It was tuned down and yet, all that wasn’t felt was processed in his head, every thought was filtered thrice and there was consideration shown, words giving secrets away. Renjun just wasn’t sure it wasn’t a method of asking for advice.</p><p>Jeno knew him, better than Jaemin, better than Jaehyun, better than the half a dozen therapists he had gone to before. He just wasn’t one to act on it, so asking for advice came easier to him than making an emotion based decision on his own. That much Renjun could understand, even though it irked him that Jaemin, of all people, made the decision and-</p><p>“I think I might like you,” the fighter pointed out, and that was the point when Renjun finally tripped. Not even gracefully, much the opposite. One second of his knees buckling was enough for his legs to lose strength, a root was conveniently placed in front of his toes, and next thing he knew he was kissing dirt and his body ached from having crashed into more of the devious little pieces of tree that poked out of the earth. Just for a moment he wanted to be upset with nature to do something like this.</p><p>Before he could do much else - like cursing or grunting or just staying here until he was a mess of rotten flesh and bones - gentle hands wrapped around his limbs to turn him over and sit him up, and then he suddenly felt light. Because Jeno had picked him up, as he realized with a shock, and not just that but even bridal style, like any overrated romance cliche ever. Despite his inner damnation of these things, he couldn’t deny how it made his heart stop a beat for a moment and his arms wrapped around the younger’s neck on instinct. The embrace felt warm, too. Bonus points for Jeno’s always high body temperature indeed.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>When they reached the infirmary, much to Renjun’s delight, no one was around, which meant hopes were high no one had to know the story of how he literally fell for Jeno because of a confession. Opposing his quite evident physical standing, though, he wasn’t sure how to feel about this emotionally. It had not yet been two months so he wasn’t certain how the younger could be so reassured of his feelings. Maybe it had to do with not needing to settle in first, like Renjun had done.</p><p>His short joy was halted when someone else came into the room, interrupting Jeno in cleaning some scratches in the artist’s face with a towel soaked in warm water. It was not Irene, and that alone made the latter a bit uncomfortable. Throughout some visits here and there at the ward because of Johnny, he had gotten a tad familiar with the doctor and figured she wasn’t all that bad, albeit it didn’t stop her from doing a short examination on his eyes to check for reactions, something he had accepted rather unwillingly than voluntarily.</p><p>“Did you roughhouse someone up again, Jeno?” The blonde joked and walked over to some cupboards to pull out cotton balls and disinfectant. Normally Renjun would have denied any of that, thinking of those as merely scratches and it wasn’t like getting injured at the studio where he’d always risk getting color into his wounds. He wondered whether his studio even remained as it was, now that he wasn’t around anymore, he couldn’t be certain his parents hadn’t already sold all his pictures and cancelled the lease on the small apartment. </p><p>“He tripped during our morning run after I confessed,” the homo superioris denied, as if that would explain it all. There it was again, this familiar habit of oversharing without actually saying much, it sounded no better than a report on someone getting shot.</p><p>Apparently, the doc must have thought the same - Hyoyeon, as she was called, Renjun realized from squinting at her staff ID - because she snorted in a very unladylike manner, and that alone the injured found charming. “And how did you figure that one out again? Because I still clearly remember the day you told me you were straight and up to date you still didn’t kiss a single girl. And that is despite you and Seulgi having been caught underneath a mistletoe last Christmas.” </p><p>If Jeno was bothered by the onslaught of revelations, at least he didn’t show it much, and Renjun himself wasn’t sure whether he just knew the other well enough or whether he reinterpreted too much into it, but he was certain of the fighter’s flustered state regardless. “Kissing him feels really great.”</p><p>“Kissing Minho also feels great and still I wouldn’t want a repeat of that,” Hyoyeon denied, and Renjun hissed, feeling how the antiseptic from a cotton ball was seeping into his bruised cheek. “So that argument is denied. Not to mention you hardly have experience, do you?”</p><p>The Chinese was close to interfere, pointing out how Jeno was indeed a good kisser but at the pace and level the conversation went, he wasn’t sure he would be entirely comfortable for that. He already felt a tad off by how they were so blatantly talking about him, as if he didn’t hear all that.</p><p>“That-” Jeno shut up immediately, and looking over from the corner of his eyes, Renjun noticed the other deadass pouting with a lack of counter arguments. “I keep thinking and worrying about him all day long.”</p><p>“You’d do the same with a dog so” - this time Hyoyeon turned around to face her patient - “are you a pet or a crush?” There was a spark in her eyes, of utter amusement, as if taking apart each and every argument of Jeno’s was actually a matter of glee to her. So Renjun really wasn’t sure of whether to feel better about not being the center of attacks and just collateral damage or not. </p><p>His hands were next, and this time around she didn’t say much, neither did Jeno, so the only words came from the artist to request for enough flexibility of his fingers and if it meant forsaking a plaster. In the end, he even denied the offer of checking his knees too, through all the drag of the run, his legs had gone numb anyways, the most he’d suffer some bruising he might as well ignore. </p><p>Last but not least, she still turned around in her swivel chair and gave the trainee a pensive look. “I’m not saying your feelings are invalid, but I’ve spent years with you and compared to the world outside, you lack a whole bunch of experience. Just make sure to be absolutely certain of your feelings before you tell the whole world about what you feel. Deal?”</p><p>“Deal,” Jeno agreed, and once he reacted to Hyoyeon’s smile, she pulled back with her chair and dumped the equipment in a bin. A simple gesture with her hands was all needed to mark the end of it, or what Renjun had wished to be the end of it, for the moment he tried to get up he felt his knees buckle with the strain and he was close to falling over one more time, had strong arms not caught him this time around.</p><p>Luckily enough, the doctor didn’t insist on a second check up, only grinned at them as she teased, “Don’t make him fall for you too often, Jen-dear.” Then she reached into one of her pockets and pulled out some candy for them. “Tastes better than medicine, works faster than supplements, and has the same effects. It should decrease the ache sufficiently, but for the time being, take a rest, commandeer Jeno around and you, get him some electrolytes.” The last words were directed at the fighter again, and with the wrapped sweets in their hands, they took their leave. It was not as glorious as Renjun would have liked, but leaning onto the younger was at least less shameful then getting carried around once more.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“You’re the talk of town!” A chirpy voice called out, and Renjun didn’t even bother to check who it was, the tone intricate enough for him to already figure out the culprit and frankly, he didn’t care. His thoughts were swimming, he had too much free time on his hands, no means to just waste it away. Johnny was still in the infirmary, Taeil was a counselor and not a trainer, and they had him assigned to Chungha for the time being who was still busy training Jisung. Renjun didn’t hold it against her, she had her protege. Renjun was Johnny’s.</p><p>“You save Johnny and the day first and make Jeno lose his focus afterwards. Rumor has it he has even fallen for you and I was told on top of all that, Jaemin ruined his room…”</p><p>It was easy to blur out Donghyuck’s words when the mention of his roommate alone was enough to kick him out of his own body, an unfamiliar room surrounding him within an instant. Originally it must have been pretty, looked like one of those posh libraries one would see in dramas portraying rich people only, but it was no longer in such state. The shelves were empty of books, the countless literature floating in the air, going this way and that. The tables holding flower vases were empty, halted in the very moment of hitting the ground and breaking apart, shards floating and water trembling in the air. The game of chess had been started on top of the coffee table, the knight moving slowly without being held by fingers. It all came crashing down, falling against a wall sideways, and Renjun was faced with his tea steaming in front of himself.</p><p>“...also said they want to see some of their art and-” Donghyuck broke off, seemingly having noticed Renjun not paying the amount of attention he had anticipate but the older just signed him to go on. The visions - hijacking - had become more recent again, catching him off-guard more often than ever before, and when he had voiced this concern to Johnny and Taeil in the ward recently, they had reasoned it might have to do with their increased contact. Before, it had been something catching him by surprise when the other party experienced extreme emotions, now it was something he conjured upon himself. But the visions, as often as they happened, were also shorter, giving him whiplash more often than not.</p><p>So Donghyuck’s steady voice was a welcome contrast to the way his brain still went haywire when he had nothing to channel his sight into, lacking the art tools in his hands. It grounded him as the boy went on talking for some more and slowly Renjun pushed the images out of his mind until the view of their lunch trays was the only thing presented to him again. With a grunt, he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes, and released a shaky breath. Opposite him, Donghyuck seemed to be more concerned than he had first let on, and Renjun could understand, really. Each their abilities worked in a different way so it must be hard to entirely relate to the side-effects it brought upon themselves. Renjun, too, could only imagine how mind-numbing the smart boy’s headaches could be whenever his brain went into overdrive, or how scary it must have been to Jaemin before, waking up floating in the air and coming crashing down upon waking up because his powers had taken the upper hand. And Renjun had seen that play out already. </p><p>“It’s okay, I’m fine,” he pressed out and waved Donghyuck off, took another steadying breath and then reached for his tea to soothe his sparked nerve endings. With a little smile he looked at the younger and asked, “What did you say?”</p><p>There was a chance for Donghyuck to backtrack, to just give up on his previous topics on conversation or lower the weight of his words but something must have been in Renjun’s eyes, for the Intelligence member broke into a bright smile and started anew, “I said you’re the talk of town. I mean, every new member is but the things you did? Woah!”</p><p>“Who did what?” Mark asked, just having arrived at their table and sitting down like a duck takes to water. Admittedly, Renjun saw the nasty glare from the younger and the mean greeting coming but Mark seemed to take offense only for a split second.</p><p>“Did you not hear?” The youngest accused the agent, exasperation in his eyes as he stared at his future partner as if Mark had gone entirely bonkers after all. In Donghyuck’s brain, it might just be that way. “Hyoyeon told Irene and Johnny overheard who then told Taeil who told Sicheng who passed it on to Yuta and thanks to Taeyong - moi! But thing is, Jeno confessed to Renjun some days ago. Are you aware what that even means? Jeno! The dumb one who keeps sticking to Jaemin like fricking magnets has fallen for our wonder boy over there.” The young genius was still looking out of his wits only to then, like an afterthought, add, “Also, Johnny will be released from the ward soon. And all that thanks to our lovely Renjunnie here!”</p><p>Said boy slapped the hands coming forth to cup his cheeks away, red having tinted his flesh. When he had first come here, he had thought to learn how to handle his visions, not that his whole life would be discussed amongst the members as if it were the newest part of the Fifty Shades series. Was it not kind of incriminating that they all knew what was going on in his life before he had even thought it over himself? “Mark, did Donghyuck tell you about the photo alb-” He yelped, when something hard collided with his shin, and by looking over at the genius’ glare, it was easy to put one and one together.<br/>
“What photo album?” The agent asked only, naive as the day, and Renjun couldn’t help wonder how someone so oblivious had even managed to become an active field agent. </p><p>“The one with all the pictures of your naked butt when you were still a toddler,” Donghyuck hissed and, despite it being farther from the truth than anything ever could be, it drove the heat into Mark’s face who much rather focused on his food than that specific topic. “Actually,” the younger added, and focused on the artist again, “I also know where to get baby pictures from Jeno and Jaemin if you’re interested.”</p><p>For a second or so, Renjun tried to imagine, Jeno’s chubby cheeks and how his eyes would be swallowed by baby fat whenever about any muscle in his face was moved. Or Jaemin’s bright eyes filled with innocence and lips smeared with chocolate as he overate once again. Or-</p><p>He quickly brushed it all aside, rather huffing at the genius looking quite smug at the moment. “Why would I be? I see their annoying faces everyday anyways.” Not to mention how he was an artist, making people older and younger in his head was one of his jobs, after all. With a glance at Mark, caught in between their hidden messages, he found his suspicions proven right of the older hardly being able to catch on. Donghyuck must have followed his sight, copied his line of thoughts, and they broke into laughter simultaneously.</p><p>“Okay, really,” the agent nearly whined after the first wave of laughter of theirs passing, “Are you having some conversation I can’t follow? Is that, like, a Special thing?” Then, caught in a line of thought he had started himself, Mark gasped and asked, “Did you have secret conversations with each other throughout the years? Does Jaemin know we-”</p><p>Before Mark could even finish, a passing by Doyoung was quick to slap the back of his head. “I expected more from you, Lee,” the coder said in a disappointed manner, only amplifying the cackling between Donghyuck and Renjun as they watched the scene unfold. Still, he stored the little implication of the possible future partners having done whatever interesting recently. Intriguing all the way.</p><p>“Oh, Renjun,” Doyoung picked up, just a second before moving on to whatever table he had chosen to sit at. I secluded one, if the book stuck beneath his arm was anything to go by. “Until Johnny is ready to start on your physical training, do you maybe want to stop by the IT rooms? We have some editing programs and you could try with digital art if you want. I already went ahead and ordered a graphic tablet, too, in case you’d want to.”</p><p>“Do I need to pay?” Renjun asked, eyes big and innocent until the older turned into the very epitome of a startled bunny. It had the Special break into a wide smile, eyes glinting with interest as he looked up. “I’d like that very much. Thank you!”</p><p>“Talk of the town,” Donghyuck mouthed at him, but Renjun merely kicked him beneath the table, twin smiles on their lips as they went on with their meal.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“You’ve distanced yourself from us recently, just when I thought it was going so well,” Jaemin started, pout on his face evident merely by the sulking tone of his voice, this accusing and yet so innocent tune. As if it had not been Renjun’s actions disappointing him, never another person, but just how it had played out, like paint splattered on a canvas and starting to run rather than staying in place. “Has it got to do with what Jeno told you?”</p><p>In all honesty, the older was not certain how to reply to this, a million of thoughts running through his mind at high speed and yet they were all brushed aside in a moment. He didn’t want to indulge any of them, prefered to stay silent and let it play out slowly. The truth would only get twisted anyways. People had thought he was crazy for what had turned out to be a mutation, he didn’t want relationships to go down the drain because of his mindless ideas.</p><p>“If what you’re wondering about is whether or not I’m okay with his feelings, you really shouldn’t worry. I always knew Jeno’s heart was too big for his stupid body and I never expected him to only stay with me throughout all of my life. He’s a person of his own, he can feel what he wants.” </p><p>Jaemin sounded so awfully nonchalant, Renjun had to wonder whether his thoughts weren’t just in vain anyways. The telekinetic was the one affected by this situation most, like a boyfriend having been cheated on, even if their relationship had never been an official one, it had gone on for longer than the artist could even assume. Yet he was the one overthinking all of it, not Jaemin. But he was also the new one, not Jaemin. </p><p>“I say you take your time. Feelings aren’t easy and your life so far was neither. Jeno is like a puppy, lusting after a bone as long as it is within his sight and you’re quite the delicious bone, Injunnie. He will wait if it’s what you want and need. But do you know what actually bothers me?”</p><p>Carefully, Renjun sat up at that question, raising one eyebrow although it would not be seen in the dark. The thought had slipped him for a moment so instead he released a little hum to prompt the younger to go on.</p><p>“The mood in here is really depressing. How can you even stay in here for so long?”</p><p>Unable to help himself, the artist broke into laughter. It was such an ironic comment to make, considering it was their shared room and the only difference to usual was that it was night, no lights had been turned on, not even Jaemin’s stupidly innocent fairy lights, and instead he had even drawn the sheer curtains to diffuse the lights that were coming in from outside. It was comfortable like this, to draw when there was hardly any light and he could focus on the very process of drawing rather than what actually appeared on the papers of the sketchbook balanced on his lap. Not to mention the idea of either of his two housemates catching him drawing what he actually did was not to his delight, and as curious as the youngest was, Jaemin did only look through papers lying around, never the papers still secured on the rings.</p><p>“It’s calming,” he eventually answered, not daring to move the pencil from where it had stopped, lest he’d mess up the drawing from losing focus on the proportions and details. “Like having a conversation in the dark, nothing to distract you from the words the other person is saying.”</p><p>“So you’re saying drawing like this is more intimate?” Jaemin teased, the bouncing sound of falling onto the bed echoing through the room. Renjun was barely so able to make out the outlines of the younger across the minimum light of the window. He did not admit to how usually these drawings were also more intimate, something Jaemin must have guessed already anyways. After all, the drawings of Jeno had already been revealed and before that, too, the drawings done in the dark had been the rather disturbing one, of people shot right between the eyes thanks to visions he had received from Johnny.</p><p>Instead, Renjun focused on the paper again, the subtle scratching sound filling the void between them for some seconds. It was followed by the rustling of the sheets as Jaemin got up again. “I’ll get started on dinner in a bit. Will you eat with us?”</p><p>The artist hummed in agreement, focusing on the bare shadow of his hand against the paper as he moved the pencil again. Admittedly, he had avoided it for a while now, not wanting to encounter Jeno when even the obligatory runs in the morning were straining his frail heart already enough. </p><p>Jaemin, though, seemed content with the approval, the satisfied smile on that awfully handsome face nearly palpable. Joy in his steps, he skipped out of the room, the sliver of light upon opening the door nearly blinding. Renjun looked after him for another moment, never before had someone been that happy about having him join the meal, his parents had been afraid of it after he had once started drawing on the table with the food as a kid, never questioning when he did not come in time to dine with them. And when he did, the most they cared about was whether his studies came along well, whether there were new pictures to sell. It was an odd relationship indeed.</p><p>The pencil fell out of his grasp and clattered as it hit the ground, vision replaced with Jeno’s innocent smile, seated at the kitchen counter and evidently conversing with Jaemin. Their conversation did not carry through the walls and door, and when he was thrown back into the darkness of the room, Renjun just rubbed over his eyes. With a sigh he got up, letting his sketchbook tumble down in favor of walking to the desk to turn on a small light there. The phone he had from the agency to commute with the others was opened to reveal the chat he had led with Taeil and Johnny to ask about his training. For another moment he considered it, then he shot Doyoung a message about visiting the Intelligence the next day too. The reply he got was surprisingly overjoyed.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Most of the lights of the building had already been turned off by the time Renjun made it out of the room. He had spent the last half an hour just playing around with his phone, which didn’t even mean much, considering there were no apps to play with or the likes. Johnny’s messages also had lasted for only so long, Taeil had not even replied, surely enjoying dinner with whoever, and Doyoung… well, that one Renjun did not know about. All that mattered was that all of them seemed to be busy in their own way regardless of his boredom. So eventually his only option had been to go out and spend time with Jeno and Jaemin after all, now that he had already promised to join for dinner. Distancing himself only worked for so long when stuck with these two in such close space anyways.</p><p>Did not mean he was prepared for the sight offered to him, Jeno nearly lying on top of Jaemin as they played some game on TV, looking all the more like the needy puppy he resembled. Maybe it was also an image he was no longer able to push aside after Jaemin had made the analogy. They looked good together, all cuddled up like this, their happiness basically dripping into the air around them, a cold reminder of how Renjun was supposed to be an intruder to their world, like a wall that cut off ruminant him from the bond that had formed between them. Like gears meshing, they were in synch despite battling against each other, easily adjusting with their every move. Donghyuck had said they had been together for long, it was evident now.</p><p>Compared to the connection he had felt during the time Jeno had visited him on the daily, it felt off now. The mere idea of the younger falling for him when Jaemin was right there seemed lunatic, they seemed to work way better together anyways. Yet it was all thrown over and toppled down a cliff when Jeno spotted him and - indeed, like a puppy - his eyes brightened up. His character died on the screen, according to the sounds of it, but the agent in training didn’t even care. “You’re out!”</p><p>Renjun ever so slightly flinched, his sight flickered for a moment, like the beginning of a vision, and then he was back again. A bit dazed he blinked, but what had felt way longer for him must have hardly been noticed by these two as Jaemin simply put the controller down and got up, clapping his hands together, and announcing, “Time for dinner then! Counter or couch?”</p><p>“Couch,” Jeno decided before the artist had even realized the question, too preoccupied by the fact his thoughts had literally tried to escape his body by hijacking into someone else. Only that no one had been available or whatever, it was not something he could yet understand. Trying to get rid off the feeling, he shook his head lightly, rubbed his eyes. When the little bursts of light disappeared, he was already welcomed by Jeno encouragingly petting the spot next to him on the couch, where it must still be warm after Jaemin had sat there seconds prior.</p><p>Renjun did not question his body moving on its own, legs carrying him over until he had stiffly sat on the edge of the cushion. There was a feeling of cold dread sitting at the bottom of his stomach ever since he had seen Jaemin and Jeno huddled up like that, something he could not file properly as he had never before felt like it. He must still be somewhat out of it, for the next thing he felt were Jeno’s fingers gently kneading at his shoulders and nape. As much as the younger likely tried to be gentle, he definitely had more strength in his body than was healthy so the artist yelped in pain and nearly fell off the couch as the burning sting rushed through his body. “The fuck are you-”</p><p>“Language,” Jaemin interrupted from the kitchen, not even paying them attention properly so Renjun took advantage of that and sent Jeno an accusing glare. It was funny, seeing someone who was supposedly so strong and intimidating look like a kicked animal when on the receiving end of that look. Not that Renjun would play into his hands and admit to that. Neither was he able to hold back the surprised yelp as Jeno basically manhandled him to sit against the backrest of the couch, rather than slipping halfway off. </p><p>The artist ignored the shiver of heat that ability drove down his spine, instead he welcomed the distraction that was Jaemin putting a tray of food onto the couch table and pushing it closer to the furniture. Then Renjun already found himself trapped between their bodies, seemingly both on a mission to make him feel cared for as they handed him all he needed for dinner and even asked him what show he wanted to watch. When he proposed a Chinese movie he knew had no subtitles, they didn’t even protest. Still, he took pity on them and suggested some comedy from the recommendations instead.</p><p>Only when they had settled down altogether and taken place comfortably did Renjun also manage to relax slowly. It was easy to forget about their situation for a moment when they were just like that, it felt like a moment from some random teenage flick instead, something cozy, normal. Just some friends having a movie night and spending a cozy time. Only that they weren’t like that, and the picture of Jaemin and Jeno looking so well together occurred to him once again. He was just about to take one of his last bites when he muttered, “You know, you don’t need to stop doing… things, just because of me.” Vaguely he moved his chopsticks through the air, as if that would explain it all. Their benefits situation. The kind he also had had of sorts with Jeno. The one Jeno had halted because of him. </p><p>Said one currently looked at him in surprise, a striking contrast to Jaemin’s contemplative look. Similar to how the future agent was struck by silence while the youngest spoke up, “Injunnie, I don’t think how it work-”</p><p>“You’ve done this for long,” Renjun muttered, poking with his chopsticks through the leftovers in his bowl, as if he were looking for his favorite when he had already eaten all of it, “It wouldn’t be fair to punish you just because I’m in the picture now, Jaemin. And Jeno is affectionate, just because I’m hesitant doesn’t mean he should go into celibate. Not until either of us is sure of what to make of it and-”<br/>
“I know,” Jeno answered, decision in his words but the little crease between his brows and some mysterious glint in his eyes was easy to decipher even for Renjun. He had had that same expression at the time he had doubted himself whether he might be going crazy after all. </p><p>The way Jaemin remained silent made Renjun uncomfortable, send little cold needles prickling his skin down his spine. “But I don’t know.” He changed his position so he could put his bowl on the tray again and also get on the move to head back to his room. Talking things like this was not his forte and he surely did not want to embarrass himself now or indulge the heaviness in his guts that was not born from the meal. “And I mean it. Just go on as you always did. Thanks for the meal, Jaemin.” He tried a little smile at his roommate as he made his way to their room, but judging by the youngest’s pondering gaze, it did not actually reassure anyone. It was a conversation he wanted to the point, even when it meant having to ditch his nightly bathroom visit to not run into them or pretend he was asleep by the time Jaemin went to bed. When he got up in the morning, it was before either of the two.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Messages of Johnny scolding him were making his phone ring several times now. Not wanting to be overcome by guilt for ditching his morning run, he ignored them at the moment, rather made his way through the halls until he had found the ones dedicated to Intelligence. Doyoung’s descriptions had actually been lacking, considering that Renjun made his way there anyways, he hardly minded.</p><p>By the time he had found the appropriate room, the older was already busy with whatever, several screens attached to the wall alight and showing different things altogether, but mostly the kind of stuff one would see in action movies. It were green writings on back on a few, on others it seemed to be surveillance and 3D programs, and one simply carried a chat message board. It was fascinating, and all the more was the fact that Doyoung seemed to have this room all to himself, despite at least three smaller work stations being put up for use. Proof of that was not only the fact that they were unoccupied, but some of the equipment had been moved to Doyoung’s place, and while there were some photographs taped between the several screens and pencils thrown all around the main desk, the other tables were all void of such.</p><p>Cautiously he stepped closer, not that it seemed like being silent was a necessity anyways, considering how focused the older was on the work. Upon further inspection, the pictures actually were of most of the agency members he was already familiar with. There was a younger Jaehyun, Johnny and Doyoung messily sprawled out across a couch; toddler Haechan with an empty cup while Mark was doused in some red juice; Jaemin chasing after Jeno from the back, the older of the two close to the camera with his hands held out, the toys surrounding them floating through the air. Unbeknownst to him, Renjun started smiling, seeing his two roommates in various stages of their life, albeit Doyoung seemed to have a clear preference on the people surrounding him, some people were more common among the pictures than others, after all.</p><p>“Little pests,” Doyoung’s voice startled him out of getting lost in pictures of little Jeno and Jaemin, focused on their joyful faces. The clicking of his fingers hitting the keyboards did not stop, neither the way the programs seemed to develop on the screens. Despite the harsh words, his voice held none of that scorn. “They’re scary with their weird stuff.”</p><p>Renjun glanced over only for a second, the older was still looking at the screens with the utmost focus. The implication lasted, one that would likely include him soon. “What about Jeno and Mark?”</p><p>“Do you know the story of Moses?” It was a weird question, suddenly bringing religion into him. It was a story Renjun too only knew from the animated movie he had watched as child, the boy who had been put into a basket by his family to not be slaughtered by guards, who had grown up as a pharaoh's son until finding out the truth, who had led his people into freedom. The gears in his mind turned. Little Jeno stared at him, looking so full of admiration. By now Jeno must be in a training session with Jaehyun. A knowing sound left Renjun. “And Mark belongs to us more than the kids ever since he got into active duty anyways. He listens well.”</p><p>The clicking intensified for a bit, followed by one decisive hit, it was a miracle the keyboard didn’t break. It was enough to prompt the artist to look at the Intelligence member, a bit clueless as to what he had to do now. No one had actually forbid him from snooping into different fields within the agency, despite how the clear focus on his training gave away they’d rather use him on active duty. It probably was more useful to them anyways. </p><p>“Where do I fit on that scale?” Renjun asked curiously, his eyes tracing Doyoung who moved around the room without even once abandoning his swivel chair. He made quick work of turning on of the desk screens around so they could sit back to back, assembling some pieces, including what must be the drawing tablet. The Special had never actually ventured into the field of digital artwork, the idea of just undoing whatever pencil stroke had been done seeming nearly too easy, the thought of not holding a pencil to see the immediate effect of color by his own hands. Maybe he had to reconsider his thoughts, seeing how much could be done on a computer by watching the older simply.</p><p>Once the program was opened, a chair was moved to the desk. “You don’t scare me yet,” Doyoung eventually said, tone calculative and Renjun had to admit, that point went to the older. So far, he wasn’t even certain the other had seen any of his episodes happening, the times he did just fade out of consciousness halfway. “Even though the rumors around you are intimidating. Heard from someone in Intelligence they had nightmares for days after seeing you during the Johnny incident. Not many here are used to these abilities yet, even though it has been years. It’s why this base is secluded the way it is.”</p><p>It was why they were all living here, too, Renjun figured. He didn’t point it out nor ask for approval to his suspicions. Instead he watched the older for some longer seconds, only then settling with the unknown program. Trying every feature and filtering what he could make use of and what not took time, exploring all there was and how it worked together. He probably could question the internet, watch some tutorials, look for tips, but he had always considered it boring to do it that way. </p><p>Time faded. Slowly he got used to it all. He had set some keys on the tablet to make editing easier, pencil sketch like studies filling the blank space. Without knowing, he had picked up a familiar theme, reverted to drawing things that flowed with ease when holding lead pencils or charcoal. So focused, he was not even aware of the background silence filling clicking had stopped. </p><p>“Do you like Jeno?” </p><p>Somewhat startled Renjun looked up, pencil stopping from where he had it pressed into the graphic tablet. Doyoung’s eyes were focused on the screen so he too inspected it further, recognizing the familiar traits within the eye and lip sketches he had done. It were not only Jeno’s anymore. “Don’t know.” Lightly he shrugged, the cursor moved to his accordance again, and he hoped the other got the signal.</p><p>Apparently, Doyoung did not. Or maybe he was bored. “He actually called me last night, long after you wrote me. I should be upset he asked Jaehyun first but I think I can understand.”</p><p>That actually roused Renjun’s curiosity. This time, as he stopped drawing, he actually put the equipment aside just so he could look at the older. The conversation was delayed for another moment, a person outside was asked to bring them some coffee, and they took off quickly. Renjun remembered Doyoung’s earlier comment about Mark. He liked people who behaved.</p><p>“Surely enough people told you he’s easy already?” The artist only nodded in reply to the question, and the older went on, “But I think the problem might actually be you. Other kids didn’t want to have anything with me when I was younger too. I couldn’t communicate well, was too competitive.” It seemed like a distant trait now, considering Doyoung so easily struck up a conversation. At least Renjun thought so. “When I came here, I experienced a lot of things for the first time. It can be scary, right?”</p><p>It was, but Renjun didn’t say that out loud. Thoughtfully he chewed on his lower lip. He hadn’t considered something going through a similar experience before. Jaemin, Donghyuck and Jeno all had seemed to have spent the whole of their lives in the base, their world so different to what he had been used to. For the first time, in a way, he heard of someone experiencing something remotely similar.<br/>
The person who had passed by earlier, knocked against the door. Coffee and snacks were placed down on Renjun’s desk, and Doyoung moved over to pick up his mug. “If you’re just intimidated by it all being new to you, I recommend you just go for it. You can always try to make amends for a mistake but you might regret never having tried it eventually.”</p><p>“Jeno-” The younger started, then frowned slightly. It took him a second to catch up to his own thoughts. Unsurprisingly it was not easy to think in pictures only to need to translate them into words. A picture was able to tell a story of a thousand words on its own. “They look good together…”</p><p>Over the rim of the mug, Doyoung’s eyebrows lightly raised, eyes slightly widened. It probably looked cute, if someone liked the innocent type. But then again, Doyoung did not seem like the innocent type. “So is it because of Jeno? Or because of Jaemin?” Renjun did not reply immediately, so the technic lover tried again, “Or Jeno and Jaemin?”</p><p>Renjun shrugged softly. Doyoung just drank his coffee. The silence was filled with the soft buzzing of the computer engines running. Then, the adult sighed and put his mug down with a soft click. “I think you should give it time. Only avoiding them won’t do either of you good. Jeno thinks he did something wrong and you’re running away because you don’t know how to face it. But this is something you need to get through together. With Jaemin. If this goes on, it will only end up affecting all of you, Renjun.”</p><p>For a moment, the artist considered it. As much as he did not like it, the words were reasonable, and he had always been weak to logic. With a little grunt he let his head fall backwards, a simple gesture, and Doyoung understood. Within minutes, they had both returned to their earlier activities. Surprisingly, it was not the least stifling between them. Renjun released a sigh of relief.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Johnny was not yet fully recovered but apparently, he didn’t even need to. Because somehow Renjun still found himself standing in training gear in one of the training halls. Clearly not the one used by Jaehyun and Jeno or it wouldn’t be in such great shape anymore. Yet these two were also around. Jaehyun, apparently, to teach him some basics while Jeno was off in the corner kicking a sandbag that was swinging a tad too violently for Renjun’s comfort. Were it anyone else, anyone normal, he would already be questioning their anger level.</p><p>“We’ll start with some basic movements,” Johnny announced from the sides, something Jaehyun easily agreed to. Only minutes later, Renjun had already been forced into remembering movements that were randomly called out for him to execute. It was straining. After merely twenty kicks, his thighs were straining. His shoulders ached from the repercussion of punching. He was not allowed to stop.<br/>
Neither did he get a break, for once they deemed he had kicked and punched enough, it was appropriate to test his endurance. Without words he was handed a jump rope, and for a moment he actually envied Johnny with his injured leg. The older could already walk without troubles, thanks to whatever magic Irene had followed through, but any kind of strain was yet forbidden. It was a striking contrast, Johnny relaxing in his spot on the floor, despite the underlying tension, like a thrumming for more, and Jaehyun warding off Jeno’s movements.</p><p>In the basics, it was similar to what Renjun had done only moments ago, but it was not that easy. Whereas each of the Special’s movements had called for soft noises from the foam protectors, he could hear the echo of faux leather crunching and bone hitting bone with barely any buffer in between. It was like the mountain echo of rams clashing heads. Shockingly loud.</p><p>Renjun could not actually take his eyes off it, Jeno’s movements were refined, stirred a familiar longing within his guts. It was a miracle he had not yet tripped over the rope, on the contrary, it was easy to go on and on. Johnny must have thought something about it, his eyes burned against Renjun’s side. He only noticed when the two Superioris called for a break, breaking his attention.</p><p>“Stop doing that and run some laps around the hall,” his trainer called out to him. It was an order Renjun actually dreaded, he had still not gotten used to the morning runs with Jeno, instead they had slowly turned into something he scorned. He would have already crossed it from his daily schedule all too willingly, but day and day again, he found himself falling into Jeno’s puppy eyes, agreeing before he had even realized. </p><p>Running around, it was harder to keep focus on what Jeno was doing now. It made running more tiring. Similar to stepping on a crosstrainer was more fun while watching a movie or something. Surely he had gotten better at this whole stamina thing in the recent weeks, it just didn’t mean he was actually good at it. At first, he had been out of breath after ten minutes or less, by now it was delayed to twenty or some. Today, the breathing proved to not be the problem anymore, instead it were his thighs and arms starting to hurt within a quarter of the usual time, straining until they felt like leaden limbs needing to be dragged around. </p><p>Johnny whistled, gestured him to come closer again, and as if it were routine, Jeno stepped aside. No matter how much he hated it, Renjun knew how to read into things when they were more or less served on the silver platter. Once again he started kicking and punching with every call leaving Jaehyun’s lips, although they quickly started to lack strength and vigor. Slowly he started to realize he might prefer training with Chungha after all.</p><p>During the time Johnny had not been able to focus on his physical training, he had stuck well with her. Specialized in blades rather than hand to hand combat, she had not only taught him about the different kinds of bladed weapons there were, she had also allowed him to test them out bit by bit. At first, he had thought it old-fashioned, seeing her train Jisung on what was the refined version of movie based sword fighting. But when put against Jaehyun, he could see the appeal behind it. Jaehyun was someone to use strength to his advantage, easily understandable with the physical advantage he had to the average human, and despite the implant, Chungha had easily kept up. The blades gave her an advantage in reach, had kept him on a distance, no matter how small, and evaded each of his attacks with the fluidity of a dancer. </p><p>He really missed it, the slow movements she had him go through, patterns of avoiding attacks and hits; the time she put into stretching, preventing muscle aches and enhancing flexibility; the lack of stress he was currently put under as he had to do this or that. Black and white, the training styles differed widely, quite as much as their fighting styles did. </p><p>By the time Jeno asked for a break on his behalf and Johnny agreed, Renjun was already a crumbling mess. Only that now nothing stopped him from falling to the ground, his legs definitely lacking the strength to support his weight any longer. With a grunt he fell onto his side, carefully stretching out his limbs lest they’d start cramping or aching even more. Similar enough to his earlier run, it was not actually the lack of air bothering him. It were just his muscles straining awfully from the unfamiliar moves. </p><p>“You did well, Renjun,” Johnny complimented from the side, and unwillingly the boy soaked it up like a sponge in water. His mentor had already moved closer to him, strong fingers feeling his thighs for any sore spots but as much as they burned inside out, they were not sensitive to the pressure at all. “Let’s do some stretching and then you can go, okay?”</p><p>If words could resemble the feeling of arriving to the heavens, it must be these. It was like verbal motivation injected into his veins, aiding him in sitting up. He just wanted to finish this and flee these rooms of hell already. Johnny gave him a reassuring smile, and with Jeno’s brutal attacks resounding in the hall, the healing agent led him through a series of stretches. By the end of it, Renjun’s limbs were officially numb, but at least they no longer seared. </p><p>Generously enough, Johnny accompanied him to the door. Out of earshot from the other two, the taller spoke up, “You’re doing better when Jeno is around. Should I ask Jaehyun to combine our trainings for longer than my recovery?”</p><p>Instinct told Renjun to deny it, the idea of getting trained by Jaehyun for longer sounded like willingly walking on embers. And not even the safe kind, but those that were still glowing red and would burn his flesh upon contact, like a marshmallow in open fire. His eyes traced over to Jeno’s form, the elegant stretch of legs with every kick, the power within a seemingly simple punch. Somehow he was already agreeing, seconds later silently cursing himself for having a tongue running faster than his thoughts. </p><p>With a tired smile, he was about to turn to the door, when from behind him Jeno shouted, “Jaemin is already home! He prepared a hot bath for you. I’ll be back in time for dinner later.” </p><p>Next to him, Johnny released a laughter that Renjun gladly ignored as he simply left the hall. He would not admit it, but the promise of a hot bath and food were enough to keep him moving, even though he was not certain whether or how he now was supposed to thank Jeno and Jaemin for that.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>When he had originally told Jeno and Jaemin to just go back to their previous arrangement, one of the things he had not considered was that they were actually close. Physically closed. Lived together. Evident in the earlier happenings. It had been his decision to use the bathroom first so he could go to bed and read a book before Jaemin would catch up. He had not anticipated to be greeted by spit slick kissed roommate with swollen lips and a mauled neck, the sight alone driving a light heat to his cheeks. It wasn’t the worst of it, no, that was how a big part of his brain was focused on the fact it was a look that actually was stunning. It made Jaemin unbearably prettier. Which, to be honest, was a questionable thought. </p><p>At least the smaller part of his brain remained logical, was left wondering about whether he had also looked like that, slightly dazed, with marks covering his skin and his lips swollen red. Whether Jeno had looked that way. Whether it amplified all their looks the way it did with the youngest. </p><p>Maybe the worst of it was how it wasn’t a thought he could easily let go of. Rather it haunted him whenever he closed his eyes, curse his teenage hormoned monkey brain, or the fact that for the first time he felt normal because no one in his vicinity was actually normal. He fitted in. Now feeling attracted to someone didn’t have him wondering whether they’d think of him as crazy, only whether they’d end up accepting him or turning him down. Jeno would not turn him down. But it would mean building a barrier of sorts between them and Jaemin and that, too, sat unwell with him. It was easier to just be the odd one out, he was used to that. Yet he couldn’t get rid of the thought of a messed up Jaemin either way.</p><p>With an annoyed grunt he sat up in his bed, blanket rustling a tad too loudly when it had been silent in their room for quite some time now. It was impossible to fall asleep. Staying close to Jaemin didn’t make it better either. He already contemplated just getting out and settling down in his favorite chair in Doyoung’s office when a weary voice next to him asked, “Can’t sleep?”</p><p>He hadn’t even noticed the other was still awake but, then again, it was dark and he was too deep into his own thoughts. The gears in his head were still running as he looked over, his memory easily filling in what he could not see due to the lack of light and before he realized, he asked, “How did you know?” </p><p>Jaemin made a confused sound which was, well, understandable. Renjun tried again, “When you and Jeno started all of… this…” Vaguely he gestured with his hand at whatever. “How did you know it was right? That it would work out and all?”</p><p>The other just laughed at that. It made the artist frown, feel a bit smaller, at the obnoxious sound of it. “We didn’t. We were just two kids who watched one too many porn videos and we had no one to experience stuff with. We just… went for it. Already before that we had good chemistry, we got along well, but when it comes down to it, we primarily do stuff because we miss other people.”</p><p>Renjun could feel the crease between his eyebrows form as he took in the sight on the other bed. Jaemin was comfortable, clearly, way more than him, legs wrapped around his blanket with ease and not even bothering to sit up in any way. </p><p>“I can hear you thinking over here,” the gravity manipulator grinned. “ If you’re wondering, I don’t think what Jeno thinks of you is what he thinks of me. Under different circumstances, if all of us just attended high school or college, I’m not sure our situation would be the same. He and I could just be best friends. He could be dating you. I could be dating you.” The last thought must have seemed especially amusing to Jaemin, his voice rose by several tones. “Or we’d all end up as your typical straight average kid and then we could go on group dates.”</p><p>The comment seemed… plausible. But as entertaining the thoughts of alternate universes existing were, it wasn’t something he wanted to entertain for too long. Before, it would have only gotten him depressed, thinking of being normal and how different it had been to his actual situation. Now… he just didn’t. Didn’t need to. Stressful and exhausting as it was, he felt surprisingly content. “Then what does he think of me?”</p><p>“Don’t know.” The reply was so anticlimactic, accompanied by a shrug Renjun heard more than saw, he didn’t really feel guilt in aiming one of his throw pillows at the younger. Even though it only bounced off into the air and hovered there for a second before falling to the ground. “But I see the way he looks at you. Like you brought light into his world. As if you hung all the stars in the universe. He genuinely likes you, Injunnie.”</p><p>Silently the Chinese contemplated the words, staring at Jaemin’s figure all the while. It must be easy for him to say, after growing up together. Or perhaps Jaemin was just good at reading people. Or distraction. Letting words bounce off like punches thrown to his invisible shield. “What about you? What do you think of me?” </p><p>Despite the dark, there was a tingling sensation tracing down Renjun’s spine. A dead giveaway. They actually looked at each other, not just experience wandering gazes. His sight flickered, the same room, same time, just a different perspective. It hardly lasted a second. </p><p>“There’s a reason I said Jeno and I work well together,” was all the younger said. Nothing followed for a short while, so Renjun was about to give up and succumb to sleep, when the rustling of sheets drew his attention again. Jaemin had lifted his blanket for him, a silent invitation, and the artist hesitated. Aside from the one night after the Johnny incident, he hadn’t shared a bed with someone else like that since… Probably since he had been a small child. Before the mutation had affected him. When his parents still thought of it as nightmares. But it was inviting, the idea of another body’s warmth and the comfort of proximity. </p><p>Thoughts that seemingly took forever lasted only for seconds as his feet pattered across the ground, just so he could lie with his back to Jaemin’s chest. Immediately, an arm wrapped around him loosely to pull him close, the shared space beneath the blanket several degrees warmer than when he had been alone.</p><p>It seemed easy to just get lost in it. Absorb the warmth, drown in the closeness, accept the snugness. It wasn’t. His gears were still running, his thoughts racing, so he whispered, “What did you mean by that?” The words could go either way. The reason Jeno and Jaemin worked well together. Was it because their preferences were the same or just complementing each other? Did they yearn for similar things or those so different they never clashed? </p><p>The warm breath against his neck was distracting. The way fingers played with his pajama top, tugging and wrinkling the fabric. Renjun could nearly think Jaemin had dozed off, or maybe Jaemin thought he had, based on how silent his voice was when whispering, “It brightens my day to see you smiling whenever you see breakfast is ready. I could watch you get lost in drawings for hours, even when you don’t want to show them to me. I enjoy listening to the words you speak even when you think you have nothing to tell. Whenever you look into my eyes in this special Renjun way, I think my heart stops beating. I love that I can take care of you, no matter how unwilling you seem to allow that. But I also know you’re something out of my reach…”</p><p>Regardless of whether he wanted to or not, Renjun didn’t think he had it in him to reply. It easily left him speechless. How Jaemin could tell these things with such honesty, as if nothing more earnest had ever left his lips. It made him feel small. Because he was still hiding behind snarkiness to cover these moments he actually felt touched. Even if it was in the darkness and to a possibly sleeping person, at least Jaemin was brave. Renjun wished he could be too.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>First of all: <a href="https://twitter.com/starrymeis">twitter</a> and <a href="https://curiouscat.me/starrymeis">curiouscat</a> for whoever of you might need/want it! Normal comments are encouraged too ❤️</p><p>✧ Pretty sure this chapter was primarily inspired by me watching Real Men 300 because of Eunseo (stan WJSN) and the way I was impressed how it all worked out!<br/>✧ Hyoyeon deserves the attention<br/>✧ I think I first decided to give Doyoung a more prominent role in this after I saw his and Renjun's vlive - too cute! need more!</p><p>PS: who here is a gamer because it just hit me Overwatch's Zarya has a weapon based on gravitational manipulation too. Not too mention both her and Jaemin sport pink hair. Coincidence? I think not. Opinions? I want to hear.<br/>PPS: if y'all are interested enough, I'll consider posting a spoiler before chapter 3 release on twitter!</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Third time's the charm and this time training picks up.<br/>So, um, disclaimer, let's pretend I didn't spend half an hour on Wikipedia and the Glock homepage to research about this but Glock is about one of the few major gun manufacturers I know of. Fun fact, it's in my country but I think I first saw that name in an American novel? There's too many companies I forget are actually from here...<br/>All my knowledge on shooting and guns (aside from a friend having told me it is quite fun?) is from TV shows and movies so don't hold me to accuracy please.</p><p>That said, there is a <b>trigger warning</b> for guns and shootings. (there's aiming at people involved but no one gets threatened and/or injured.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Guns, as simple as they looked, were not quite as easy as Renjun had first anticipated. Even by the end of the instruction alone, his head was already spinning from the onslaught of possibilities. There was caliber, mode, range, extras, cleaning, safety, durability, do this and do that… Honestly, he just wanted to cry. He envied Jeno suddenly, who already knew all he needed to know because of some stupidly useful microchip and only needed to have his body catch up. Meanwhile Renjun felt like he could need to memorize a whole book to get the gist of what Johnny had told him.</p><p>“You’ll get used to it,” the older promised. Fingers dancer through the air, tracing the collection of weapons hung up in the room, eventually deciding on one of the guns. <i>Glock 17. 9 x19 parabellum/9mm Luger. Semi-automatic.</i> “This one is a classic. It’s also the one I first used, and Mark too.”</p><p>A simple black design. If there were stars to be put on such matters, Renjun would have readily done that. Instead, he had to follow Johnny to the shooting range and received the gun. It felt odd, the weight of a weapon in his hands when he had only been used to blades. And he had excelled at throwing knives, he might add. </p><p>“Usually I should give you earphones to drown out the sound but we’re alone at the moment and you won’t have any in active use either.” Johnny sounded so clinical explaining it all, it seemed nearly intimidating, equally as was wandering around the range and hanging up a few targets that drew back to the end of the hall thanks to the mechanics. “Place both hands on the gun, first. Dominant beneath the other. Adjust the gun so it’s placed between your eyes and follow the barrel to see where you aim. Torso is the easiest to aim at but if you hit the guts, it might not yet be life threatening. You’d prefer the chest, so you can hit the lungs or the heart. Even better would be the head but it’s not always easy to hit there.”</p><p>Renjun simply nodded ahead to the instructions. They made him feel a bit dumb, most of all. He was sure the gist of it he had heard in movies already, even seen from when he had followed Johnny throughout the years. It was still different when suddenly it was him to be tasked with the shooting instead of just seeing it second hand.</p><p>His mentor must have sensed his hesitation, always oddly perceptive of that, and noted, “Just pull the trigger when you’re ready. It’s only a fifty meter at the moment and we got all of noon to get there so don’t think about it too much.”</p><p>For another moment Renjun glanced at Johnny, then towards the front, towards the target again. He could still easily remember the time Mark had been taught how to shoot by that very same man, with a face chubbier than now and fingers fat from tender age. Mark had been younger than Renjun now, easily so, but the hours had been filled with affection and care. It was obvious why some of them were mentors. Taeil, obviously. His expertise was counseling, he needed to do well with people. Johnny was understanding and patient. EQ the size of an elephant. Jaehyun and Jeno, too, must click well. He felt with Jaemin, who apparently had no mentor to teach him. </p><p>He pulled the trigger. There was a rupture on the right side of the paper. Not the target but not too far off. The slightest pull to the left would mean a big difference now. Carefully Renjun inhaled, and pulled the trigger on the exhale. He was closer to the middle now, anatomy telling him it might have been the stomach then. He inhaled again. Pull on the exhale. Closer to the target. Inhale. Exhale and pull. Center. In rapid succession, he pulled several times.</p><p>A hand dropping heavy on his shoulder startled him upwards. The gun was the slightest bit lighter with the loss of bullets now. Johnny grinned brightly. “That’s good. You’re doing really exceptionally well. Move to the next lane and compare.”</p><p>Renjun looked at him for a bit, then did as told and moved a few meters to the right. This time around, he didn’t hesitate as long before shooting. The ruptures appeared around the center sooner. In the end, holding a gun might not be too different from a brush. Every tilt signaled a different stroke. More color, less color. </p><p>Sooner than he thought, the magazine hit the last bullet. Pulling the trigger came out empty and, a bit helplessly, he looked at his supervisor. Johnny merely handed him another magazine, meaning it was up to Renjun to figure what to do now. It took quite a bit of fiddling for him until the magazine dropped out and to the shelf beneath him and he could insert the next. </p><p>“Your ability,” he started slowly, side stepping a bit again so he had yet another empty target in front of him. His shoulders ached a bit but the recoil was less intense than he had anticipated. Quickly he wriggled them around a bit, aimed the gun again. He hit close to the center. “How can you control bullets like that?” </p><p>“Blood,” came the quick reply, hardly audibly in between the shots. “I never really got how they do it exactly but they alloy my bullets with it. It’s not perfect, I can’t do unreasonable stuff but I can somewhat detour them after shooting.”</p><p>Routine was easy after the third turn already. Shoot several times at the center, then move to the next lane. If all seventeen shots are used up, Johnny would hand him a new magazine to reload. As he aimed the gun, it was easy to imagine what changing directions on a bullet would mean, even if he hadn’t seen it yet. But he had. It wasn’t exactly logical, just like his own ability was not the least reasonable. </p><p>It was funny, they had spent so much time with each other already, yet he had never asked. Or never questioned it. There was this weird thing, the discrepancy between just knowing something passively and actively pursuing it. Like seeing how a gun works on TV and having to work it himself. Like reading things in a book and then seeing it in a movie. Only that he saw it in visions that usually omitted the part of bleeding to alloy bullets. If he were to question it now, he could understand why people thought him crazy. He merely had been stubborn enough to hold on, to not tell the doctors the unreasonable stuff like bullets changing directions. </p><p>Just about to go to the next lane again, he caught himself barely in time, seeing how there was nothing more to his right than the wall. So he turned to Johnny instead, kindly telling him to make sure the magazine was empty. The last shots coincided with the older’s steps over to the machinery station to call the targets forth again. The first one was a mess and the second looked minimally better but over the course of the few lanes, his shooting had indeed become better. He had hardly any strays in the last one.</p><p>“I’m just glad you didn’t turn out to be Jisung two point oh. I wouldn’t know how to deal with a second of his kind.” The agent joked good-naturedly, couldn’t even do it in a mean way. One by one the targets were taken off and replaced with new ones, and once back in their position, Johnny handed him another few magazines to use.</p><p>Compared to the daily training he now had to suffer with Jaehyun and Jeno under Johnny’s strict command, this was most definitely easy practice. His shoulders did hurt after the second round, not denying that, but it was nothing he couldn’t deal with. Especially when compared to buckling legs after being nearly mauled by the Superioris team.<br/>
“How long have you been here now?”</p><p>Renjun looked over to Johnny who had already comfortably settled in a chair. The clicking of changing the magazines resounded in the room and eventually stilled but he wasn’t certain about the answer. He had stopped counting the days quite quickly, everything seemed to simply pass by in a blur and without noticing, even the seasons had changed. That was something he didn’t even notice, he spent most of his times inside, with the exception of his morning runs with Jeno anyways. </p><p>“Must be half a year soon,” he eventually pointed out and pulled the safety, cocking the gun at the targets again to do his shots. “But I like it here. It’s better than any place I had been to before.”<br/>
His mentor, for lack of better words, seemed content. Maybe he actually was. It wasn’t easy for teens to fit in but Renjun had been able to make the best of it and he, too, was happy now. He really was.</p><p>“Keep that in mind when you spar with Jaehyun later then,” Johnny pointed out with a kind laughter, the sound bubbly and light. It was refreshing. Renjun still missed the shots right after these words.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“I don’t really get how this is supposed to help me with shooting practice…” Renjun stared at the screen of their TV, whatever video game currently showing. He hardly knew any of these. The most he had heard about was Minecraft and not even that he had played. Why should he, when his parents had bought him all sorts of art materials after his first paintings had been sold and he had had more fun forming clay than a computer could ever offer.</p><p>“You learn about the different kinds of weapons in a more entertaining way,” Jeno answered from beside him. The younger was already equipped with a bowl of popcorn, as if Renjun’s presumably horrible gameplay would bring him utter entertainment, and looked unfairly fit despite their earlier training. Even if he was used to it and done so since years now, the Chinese still called it an unequal distribution by the universe. There was him, with staggering legs and aching muscles every day, only resolved by a hot bath and Hyoyeon’s magical electrolytes drink, and there was Jeno, with his hair flopping perfectly into place and not even a flush to his skin. Renjun kicked him just out of spite. Jeno pouted. “What was that for?”</p><p>“Fair trade,” the older grunted. The controller in his hands felt weird and he softly tapped the buttons without pressing to just get used to them. Two minutes into the game he started he was already dead. The younger just smiled happily.</p><p>But Renjun was nothing if not stubborn so he did attempt it again and again, until eventually he managed to get five minutes into the first level without yet dying. Compared to the shootings he had actually followed through with, with a gun in his hand and the lane in front of him, this was worse. He was a miserable player and Jeno must slowly become aware of that as well, for the moment he died, hands wrapped around his waist and, just like that, he was manhandled to sit between the younger’s legs. </p><p>After weeks of not being too touchy with each other, always a polite distance between them, it made him feel awkward and stiff. It had been hard enough to let loose around Jeno when he was all too aware of every little reaction he could draw, when he saw the spark in alluringly dark eyes the moment his eyes caught onto the younger’s exposed upper body during breakfast - apparently even encouraging Jeno to show up without a shirt more and more often - or how those same eyes traced Renjun’s eyes as he talked. Each and every little thing had his guts twisting and his heart clenching and it was easier to just avoid it altogether. Especially after the confession, even when it had been weeks since. </p><p>What he had not been aware of was just how deprived he could be of touch after all this time. Or, maybe he had been a bit. It had happened a handful times now that he moved into Jaemin’s arms and bed if he couldn’t bring himself to fall asleep and the warmth of another body was all too soothing, especially at the dead of night when no one else could see how vulnerable it made him feel. It was so very different to the moments illuminated by too many lights, when he felt exposed like that. And as much as he thrived on being close to Jaemin at night, it was so very different to being close to Jeno, regardless of all.</p><p>Being close to Jaemin was thrilling, the soft thrum of magnetism tickling his spine as he laid back to chest with his roommate, the mere knowledge that the younger could so easily push him away with his powers alone but prefered to keep him close. How secretive it felt, being close hidden by the blankets and the late hour. It was like a good movie, got his heart racing in all the best ways and warmed him inside out. An evident difference to Jeno. After all the many talks they had had, it promised comfort. Being close to Jeno was like coming home - not the house he had shared with his parents, no, it was one speaking of solace and warm hues and feeling protected. It made him feel delicate, like something to be looked after, when warm fingers traced his skin with all the gentle care of the world. </p><p>It was all the more apparent when compared to their shared training times, when Jaehyun and Johnny pitched them against each other and cheerfully chatted while Jeno so easily threw him to the ground again and again. Naturally the fighter had to control his strength around Renjun, but there was a hint of seriousness. They were miles apart in terms of training but Jeno did not look down on him, he didn’t treat their sessions like a joke. And between getting thrown around like a ragdoll and having his light weight pointed out, and being touched like the finest China, so easily breakable, he couldn’t help feeling excited.</p><p>Even now, as Jeno put his hands on top of Renjun’s, the older felt his heart skip a beat. There was tenderness to the touch, as his fingers were guided around the buttons and his character lead through the game until he, eventually, succeeded in the level. He tried to act cheerful but somewhere along the way, he had gotten a bit too cozy with Jeno’s body heat against his back, the way thicker thighs framed his own or how Jeno’s soft breath hit the top of his head. </p><p>All too easily he could get drowsy like this, bracketed by strong arms and protected from the world. Just allow all the exhaustion of the day to catch up to him and drift off. Ignore the sounds of the game and Jeno’s fingers still directing his. It would be easy. It was not.</p><p>“Renjun?” The younger asked behind him, softly enough to not disturb him in case he had actually gotten drowsy. So far, the artist was still coherent enough to tilt his head sufficiently to look at Jeno, take in the sight presented to him. They hadn’t been close like this in so long, it seemed interesting all over again, to take in every little blemish on that sculpted face, memorize the straight line of his nose or at what spot exactly the dry lips were close to cracking. It was even more distracting when Jeno, too, looked down and Renjun could feel humid breath hit his own lips.</p><p>As said, it could be easy. It was not. Because by the time Renjun already felt himself fall for the moment and into a pit of temptation called kissing Jeno, their front door beeped and steps echoed throughout the short hallway. One little thump and a second, from where Jaemin had kicked off his shoes, and then their remaining roommate already stood in the living room. </p><p>Much like a startled deer caught in the headlines, that was how the artist felt at that moment as he looked at Jaemin. He knew what he was currently doing was not wrong, neither did it seem to be right when taking in the expression that was oddly closed off. As if the gears were running in that pretty head but none of it was supposed to be carried to the outside. It likely was how Jeno, too, would look if he ever caught on to Renjun staying in Jaemin’s bed, even though their motivation seemed to be way innocent at such time. What even was the right thing, he had no idea of telling. </p><p>“I got us some marinated ribs from the cooking aunties,” the Special finally said, tone a tad too chirpy after the silence that had lasted only seconds but felt like eternity. It was straining Renjun’s nerves, the tension, made him feel like a bristling cat, like Sabrina’s Salem when he was upset.</p><p>Behind himself, he could feel Jeno smiling more than see, and between the two best friends, the tension began to bleed out. “Sounds perfect.”</p><p>Renjun wished it was quite as easy for him, with either of them. Suddenly, sitting between Jeno’s legs felt no longer like a safe place but rather like a cage of no escape. This sensation of being an outsider intruding on their relation- and friendship still did not leave him, like a wrecking ball tearing down a house. Jeno had halted his agreement with his best friend for Renjun and although Jaemin had said it had been one out of convenience, it was still there. Even his roommate saying Jeno and him looked good together could not the secret confession said beneath the blankets, to a maybe sleeping person. It had his head spinning, the question of whether Jeno and Jaemin were vying for him or Jaemin and him were just looking out for Jeno. </p><p>“Renjun? Baby?” The Chinese startled at the nickname, eyes wide and nearly accusing as he looked at Jeno who had whispered into his ear worriedly. “Are you okay? Did you have another vision?”</p><p>Renjun wished it had been only that. Slowly he shook his head and tried his best to smile softly. He adjusted his position, misused Jeno as a pillow once again. His eyes darted over to Jaemin cooking in the kitchen for a second. Before he could ponder it too much, he pressed the appropriate button on the controller to continue the game and, hopefully, distract himself.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“I just don’t get why I have to do this,” Renjun, honest to the painting gods, whined. Shooting a gun at one thing since a week now was one thing. Having a paper target replaced by a dummy was okay. Replacing that dummy with Jaemin a whole different story. “I just can’t shoot… him.”</p><p>“Because you can’t shoot at a person,” Johnny started, eyes turning mischievous at the chance of teasing, “or can’t shoot at Jaemin?” </p><p>Were this a cartoon, his left eye would be twitching in irritation. Alas, it was not. So he only glared at his mentor before picking up the gun armed with blanks. Before he had even properly aimed, he was already pulling the trigger, the bullet going anywhere. Even if he had hit Jaemin, the other was wearing protective gear, and the whole point of this exercise was for the two of them to perfect some abilities. In the younger’s case, <i>armor</i>. </p><p>With some hesitation, he eventually adjusted his sight down to where Jaemin was standing. They had moved outside for the day. “To test different conditions,” as Johnny had said, but Renjun didn’t entirely trust that. Neither did he trust himself when his vision flickered, fingers pulling the trigger on instinct. This time, rather than seeing it moving away from him, he saw it approach. There was him, quite a distance away, a bit hard to see against the setting sun in the back, blinding in its light. He could barely so see the gun pointing at himself - Jaemin - and it was nothing short of disturbing.</p><p>Supposedly, if one saw their own clone, it would be impossible to recognize it as such. Seeing himself like that was a bit like that. He could hardly believe it was himself when he had only ever seen himself in the mirror or on paper. Pictures were no reality.</p><p>He sighed heavily, or he thought he did, but in the distance he could see little puffs of hot breath. Jaemin blinked a few times but it was not easy to tell how the other felt. The access he had stopped with sight, all things he heard still were the sounds his own ears perceived, the cold he felt was his own body’s, the tremble of fingers… Never again had he been as aware of his own body as he was at the current moment. It was like sleeping, your brain was active and your body moved around, but never would you be able to tell just what you did. It was the same for him, he would eventually just come back to messy drawings or paintings and whatever else his body had done while he was busy watching someone else move around remained a mystery to him.</p><p>This time he could feel it. This time he was aware of all the sensations of his body, how everything moved and behaved, and he could trace all the little movements. He tried to direct the gun towards where he looked. Wasn’t it like pointing with one finger and drawing a line there with the other? It would be impossible to miss. At least so he thought. He didn’t get to see the result, trying to pull the trigger apparently meant big enough a strain it catapulted him right back to his own mind. His feet staggered but the gunshot echoed. </p><p>With a grunt he dropped to his knees. The gun fell from his hands. His fingers trembled as he desperately interweaved them and tried to calm them down. </p><p>“Took you long enough but you’ve- Hey, Renjun!” Johnny’s voice went from proud to worried when hearing the different sounds of collapse. It must have triggered something about Jaemin, too, or maybe the younger had just seen it, considering he had been less shy about looking forward than Renjun. </p><p>Seconds passed, and the boy found himself encircled by warm arms. Holding him carefully. Fingers driving through his hair. His own clawed into Jaemin’s pullover as he tried to ground himself first. This had been more intense than any of the hijacking episodes he had had before. Mostly because he had never before felt his body like that.</p><p>“Renjun, hey,” Johnny called out once again. Renjun’s fingers tightened around Jaemin’s sweater. Even just turning his head seemed awfully strenuous. “Are you with me?” </p><p>He lightly tugged at the fabric. The younger forwarded it, “He is… Right?” He tugged again, ightly, in affirmation.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Another tug. Another agreement coming from Jaemin. “Did something happen?” Slowly, carefully, Renjun undid his fingers from the clothing to move them upwards, until he could softly caress the area beneath his eyes. Johnny seemed to get it anyways, and he and Jaemin must have exchanged a look. All he could feel of that fleeting moment was the pull of muscles beneath the lower lid he touched. “Take him home. Renjun, can you contact me when you feel better?”</p><p>Another tug. Another forwarded reply. And next thing he knew he was scooped up into Jaemin’s arms to carry him back inside. He really had a thing for getting carried around, it seemed. But whereas he could hardly remember the time when Jeno had done so, right now he was quite aware of how uncomfortable protective gear was. It scratched his skin through the fabric, pressed into his flesh in odd manners, and were it not for his own crippling state at the moment and Jaemin’s soothing scent, he doubted he could bear with that for long. </p><p>All too soon they were back to their apartment. Jaemin set him down on the couch, rather than one of the beds in their shared room, and peeled him out of most of his clothes. Until only his shirt and underwear remained. Bare legs covered by a blanket. Warm cup of tea caught between his hands. TV sounds filling the silence. </p><p>At some point, Jaemin must have pulled him onto his lap for he was surrounded by this odd mixture of strawberries and pepper. Sounded weird. Smelled great. Felt soothing. Time passed. </p><p>It was dawning outside by the time he got his bearings back, fingers parting from the cup so he could take hold of Jaemin’s instead. Each digit he traced with his pointer, felt the little ripples of tiny wrinkles where the skin should stretch over knuckles. Felt the warmth of them. “I saw myself… When I stood there, and you watched me… I could see myself through you and then… I tried to pull the trigger…”</p><p>Jaemin’s free hand was curled around his nape, softly pulling and massaging at the muscles there. It was soothing, anchoring. For a bit the younger waited, for whether or not something else would follow. “Don’t you always do things actively?”</p><p>If he had the energy to, Renjun would’ve given him the best possible dead stare he could muster. Accusing or insulting the other would do neither of them good now. “No… I just snap out of it, like a blackout. Recently I managed to get into Johnny’s head on will, already, but I never was so… aware of my body as this time around.”</p><p>“It means you make progress, Injun. Even if it feels exhausting at first, that you learn new things and how to control your abilities means you make progress. And that is the very goal of your being around us, isn’t it?” Speaking in a lower tone was soothing to Renjun, much rather than the sometimes pretty high pitch Jaemin used when wanting something. That usually had the smaller ready to throw a punch if not intimidated by the very threat of repercussion. </p><p>“Guess so…” He muttered silently. At the moment, though, he wanted nothing more than to inhale that odd sweet and spicy sent for some moments longer. This time he allowed himself to, as he buried his face into the younger’s neck and just inhaled deeply. “Works best with you though…”</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>It was weird to admit to it but Renjun had never actually been to Taeil’s office, hadn’t even had any expectations of it. The room was bigger than he had anticipated but then again, his mentor was in charge of counselling for many more people around the headquarters than just him, not to mention it was an important task too. Just because they had met more often in the training hall than in the formal rooms, doesn’t mean he should undermine exactly the burden that weighed heavily on the older’s shoulders anyways. </p><p>As much as he had understood it priorly, Taeil had graduated in psychology of varying degrees while doing some sort of internship around the headquarters. The very reason as to why and how he had gotten one in such a place had been confusing enough for Renjun to not attempt understanding it. Maybe at a latter point of time he could charm Doyoung into letting him look into the files and records but for now, dealing with the weight that came with being in a room that screamed Freud and stereotypical psychiatric therapy room. Not exactly the kind of space he was most comfortable with and Taeil, too, seemed to notice for he asked, “Had a lot of bad experiences with this setting?”</p><p>Renjun smiled wryly. He doubted there was anything he could say that was not already known to his mentor, his records alone gave that away. Paranoid hallucinations. Delusions of lunacy. Schizophrenia. Stress overload accompanied by visual delusions. Parent issues leading to cries for attention. There had been enough stamps in his medical files and every new specialist his parents dragged him to proclaimed something else, everyone gave him another futile medicament until he had swallowed more pills in his fifteen years of diagnosis than many took in the whole of their lives. </p><p>“Good thing we’re not here to talk about you, then,” the older laughed and it was somewhat soothing. Taeil gestured him to sit down at one of the couches and so Renjun did, only finding to be delightfully surprised when a pot of tea and two mugs were put on the coffee table some moments later. Both were filled up and it was a gesture he could easily understand, not to mention that tea always had a habit of luring him in. “Johnny told me you broke down after your training session with Jaemin some days ago. And forgive me for preempting the happenings but I already asked Jaemin about the happenings at that time. More or less, I take it you came further along in training your abilities?”</p><p>The question was not exactly easily asked. He could zap into Johnny’s vision more easily now, which said little considering the time he had spent here and how much of a strain it still put on his body and mind. It was exhausting, trying to wilfully hack into someone’s vision, it didn’t follow rules and regulations like Doyoung’s actual hacking did, had no codes and lines to keep track of. All he could do was rely on his senses and try to reach out for his mentor because it was familiar. Not that it was always all that pleasing, as he had figured a while ago when he had, unintentionally, become like a live viewer of porn, without any option of changing the channel. On the bright side, one might argue he had finally been able to see the mysterious Ten. </p><p>That Taeil had talked to plenty of troubled people before became his advantage now, as the older didn’t pry on a question he couldn’t answer to so far and took a different route, “Jaemin told me you saw yourself from his point of view that day?” It was an easier to reply to query, so Renjun nodded his head. “And you pulled the trigger while seeing with his eyes?” Again, the teen nodded. The counsellor only asked. “Guess some people would suspect you of being suicidal after that.”</p><p>The joke was so unexpected, yet in a way exactly what Renjun had needed. In certain ways, it was. He had shot at himself stuck partly in someone else’s body, had looked right at the barrel regardless of the distance, and had pulled the trigger at his own - Jaemin’s - face. </p><p>“You’ve been drawing a lot while hijacking so what makes this different?” </p><p>Interesting question. Interesting question indeed. If only it were as hard to answer as well. “I don’t do it consciously. I just wake up to it. This time though…”</p><p>Taeil hummed in recognition, tender smile on his face as if he could actually get what this was about. Perhaps he did actually get it better thanks to being surrounded by Specials without being one of them, he could look at their powers without suffering the bias of having one of his own. “If that’s the way it works best for you, train it with Jaemin. Do it moderately, in a pace that fits you. I’ll keep the others out of it for a while longer, alright?” </p><p>“I… should try to shoot myself in Jaemin again?” Renjun repeated, asking for clarification that sounded as nonsense as it likely was. </p><p>His mentor only laughed it off. “Try to eat breakfast while having Jaemin watch you. Try to coordinate your movements while looking at yourself from a different angle. I think you can do a lot more and a lot better than you think yourself, Renjun.”</p><p>“I’ll try…” The younger smiled wryly, the idea alone seemed off putting. Trying to control his body based on what someone else saw… It was as much of an advantage as it did seem to be a struggle.<br/>
With a smile, Taeil acknowledged his words, then said, “Now, drink your tea, and don’t let it go to waste. We still got some time left so is there anything else you want to talk about?”</p><p>For a moment, the weird relationship he had with Jeno and Jaemin crossed his mind. Only it was not exactly something he wanted to discuss at the moment, nor was he sure whether he wanted to talk about it with someone who held so much official responsibility about him. It was too much like talking about your crush with a teacher, it seemed unfitting. So instead, he mentioned a bit of this or that, and how tiring the physical training was. At least that seemed to be something Taeil could get behind quite as much as he had.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“We’re doing what?” Renjun repeated, still out of breath from the run just now. It had taken nearly two months but by now, he was able to keep up with their morning runs pretty well. He was still unfairly out of breath compared to Jeno who hadn’t even broken a sweat just yet, but his legs didn’t strains as much anymore, didn’t cramp nor ache. Slowly but surely it had become better. They had become better. Even though their afternoon training was still a tad too much for him, especially when he had two idiots running around at home without more clothing on their frame than a towel around their waist after a shower and proudly proclaiming the results of their training while he was still the same tender and light person as ever. </p><p>“Mock missions.” Jeno didn’t look the least bit put off by the news, instead, it seemed to be of delight to him. Then again, a kid like him, born to fight and living for it all the more, surely thrived off the knowledge that they would have trials for it. “You and me. Jaemin and me. Against whoever of the senior agents they pitch us against. They’ll give us mission details and we find our own strategy to deal with it.”</p><p>“They’re testing who fits you better. Jaemin or me.” The artist concluded. His eyes kept track of the younger, suspiciously so. Whoever of the higher ups had made this decision, it felt like there was way more to wager than what it seemed. He blinked once, twice, then bent down to his toes in mimic of what Jeno did, too. Stretching after their morning runs sure did something to prevent his muscle aches throughout the remains of the day. “What exactly does this mean for us? I never- I don’t think I agreed to becoming an agent. Or this.”</p><p>The other, ever so easy-going, just shrugged it off. “If you don’t want to do it, tell Johnny or Taeil. It’s their responsibility to take care of your wishes and needs.” Then, with a cheesy grin, he added, “I’m only here to comfort you when you get beaten by me once again.”</p><p>With a grunt, Renjun pushed forward, in an all too familiar move that relied heavily on speed and agility rather than the brute strength Jeno mostly took advantage of. All too easily he slid his arm around the younger’s neck and pulled him into a chokehold, one he knew was partly endured, for someone like his roommate could all too easily slip out of his grip. “Only because you’re cheating, you-”</p><p>He squeaked in surprise when the Superioris just wrapped his arms around him, picking him up like a bride on wedding day. Talk about enduring it. With all too much ease, he was set down on the terrace railing, hips bracketed by the younger’s arms, like the cage he didn’t need when trapped by the earnest in dark eyes. </p><p>“It doesn’t mean anything for us, Renjun,” the fighter eventually said, sincerity in his voice. There were many more words within these than one might think. That nothing between them would change. That the decisions that might be made based on their results would not affect them as friends, roommates, this twisted mess they were in their friendship and more. But it was not only about them two, Jaemin was involved in this as well, there was no way to prevent such thing to happen when their daily lives and fates had already become interwoven like this. </p><p>It made his heart soar, in this unexpected and unique way only Jeno could, every once in a while, when it wasn’t actually overwritten like a computer virus by his annoyance with what an utterly dumb brain could be kept within such pretty head. To a fault, it was also a nice escape to admitting just how affected he was by the younger at times. Like at this current moment of pushing his running partner away with a huff and a hand to the chest. (He nearly wanted to believe he could even feel a faster heartbeat underneath.) “Stop eating bread for breakfast, you’re getting too cheesy.”</p><p>Not an ounce of offense was kept in Jeno’s slimming eyes, swallowed up by a bright smile that the artist would describe all too readily as sappy if only he had the heart to. Alas, he hadn’t. So he only breathed another huff at the younger and slid down the railing to instead focus on their stretches again. Sore legs were a pain, and he had enough of getting laughed at for grunting while sitting down just because his thighs had been strained too much. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the Superioris do the same, and for a while tranquil silence of an early morning settled upon them. This side of the building was kept from the noises of the commuting workers, something he had started to learn to treasure with time, because there were enough people working there even if it was only their branch, and to be fair, he didn’t even know how many actually knew of the origin of their own agents. Not that it was his problem to deal with anyways.</p><p>“I meant what I said.” The words were as expected as they were surprising. Renjun had known the silence wouldn’t last forever, not when Jeno treasured proper communication and expressing his thoughts truthfully too much to pass by the chance. Only that it came by the time he was about to go back inside surprised him a bit. “Whether I’ll end up teaming up with Jaemin or you won’t make a difference to me. It won’t change how I feel about you nor what we have. The only way any of it can ever change is…” </p><p>It was seldom to see the fighter at a loss of words, so Renjun watched him properly, took in his tensed stance, the uselessly clenching and moving fingers. Suddenly it made sense, why the other preferred to talk it out. For someone who is trained and made to use his fists to win in an argument against people he will never know, there is only two options. Succumb to the option of violence entirely, become a brainless idiots only knowing how to fight, or try to stick with a kind heart, each in their own way. </p><p>Jaehyun, Renjun had learned, was caring. He was shallowly kind to everyone but just seeing him with someone close, anyone could see there were layers upon layers peeled away. As was to be expected of someone who was treated as the first of the next step in human evolution, an outsider, someone who had to deal with being different. And as intimidating he could be in sparring gear or mission clothes, quite as tender he was to his allies after every playful skirmish.</p><p>Jeno, on the other hand, didn’t have an armor like this. Not like Jaehyun’s, not like Jaemin’s, the most literal armor of all of theirs, not like Renjun’s, built on trying to evade being marked as something he wasn’t. Jeno just… carried his heart on his sleeves and tongue. Fighting was duty and joy, depending on the circumstances, but being open and earnest was of volition, something he chose to do in battles that could not be fought with fists. And no one proper would want to punch the one they had feelings for. </p><p>“Is if you tell Johnny or Taeil you don’t want to become an agent… Then you will be forced to leave us.”</p><p>Us. Not me. It was a small detail but not one the Special wanted to point out. The mere fact he might be driven out of a place he had made home of was shocking enough. And because it was, he forewent an answer and just stuck his tongue out in the younger’s direction, before closing the door right in front of his face. His steps were still playful as he skipped to the elevator but with metal doors slowly falling close behind him, the feeling evaded him.</p><p>He had never stopped to consider what would come after this, whether he wanted to become an agent of any kind, be it of active duty like Johnny or behind the scenes like Doyoung. Neither had he thought about what would happen if he denied this chance, that he would just be sent back into the open world, away from Jaemin and Jeno, to return to his paints and brushes and live his life like before. Hopefully without being called a madman again. He wasn’t sure he actually wanted to think of it.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>It was odd to look at yourself not through a mirror or a recording but actually look at yourself. Live. Through someone else’s eyes. </p><p>Taeil had been a little traitor like this, had told Jaemin about their little homework and that, in return, had lead to Jaemin muttering into his nape at night about how they should try it during breakfast. Which lead to this exact moment of Renjun sitting at their kitchen isle and just eating the breakfast the gravitation manipulator had prepared, until the blond had opted to just stare at him from the working space. Like instinct, his vision had shifted, a literal one-eighty and there he was, staring at himself with a spoonful of soup stuck halfway between bowl and his mouth and all because Jaemin was a little pest like that.</p><p>“He’s frozen,” Jeno pointed out from where he came from the bathroom, just having finished his morning routine. With it came the already familiar clash of hearing and feeling and being more and more aware of his surroundings, while still struggling with having his consciousness someone split between two bodies. His mind followed his vision, was swallowed up by the consciousness of his deed, but his self-awareness had bit by bit remained in his own body. It was as hard to describe as it was weird. Jaemin had once said he can understand it, it’s like he’s getting a duller sense of hearing when he focuses on his own powers too much, and in a way it’s just so different and yet merely the same.</p><p>“He’s watching you,” the youngest replied, and added a cheesy gesture of pointing his two fingers at his - Renjun’s - direction and then his own - Jaemin’s - eyes. Things like that were really messing with the artist’s mind. “He should become able to eat his breakfast while sticking around like that so I apologize for having less time to ogle at your perfect face, Jeno. But the prince demands my attention.”</p><p>Words like these usually made the oldest frown, and even now there was a familiar itch between his eyebrows. When he could even see the muscles twitch in his face, courtesy Jaemin for finally looking back, he even wanted to release a yell of joy. That one, unsurprisingly, was harder than having his muscles jerk in reaction. Yet it did seem an easier task than basically splitting his mind in half, trying to focus on not losing his connection to his roommate while becoming aware enough of his own body that he could slowly feel it again. Anyone who had ever seen One Piece’s Brook would relate.</p><p>In between Jaemin darting his eyes from Renjun’s frame to Jeno’s face, the Special actually managed to concentrate enough to move his spoon a bit closer to his own mouth. It was hard, to know exactly where everything was moving when only seeing a mirror image of yourself, and only his stubbornness kept him moving and trying. Rather fast, he could feel his head start pounding and he saw his hand trembling, spilling some droplets of soup on the table plate. Like this, with the pain creeping up on him and Jaemin focusing a tad too much on the little falling specks, it was harder to concentrate, and it was with a last effort he pushed the spoon into his mouth.</p><p>The metal scraped against his teeth uncomfortably and it catapulted him back to his own mind. In an instant, his senses went into overload as everything became more obvious to him. The taste of the soup, the ringing of his teeth, the pounding of his head. His fingers were twitching, barely holding on to the piece of cutlery and it only didn’t drop to the floor thanks to Jaemin’s hand closing around his wrist and supporting it gently in an instant. Jeno, next to him, had his fingers curled around his nape and the touch burnt against his skin, too warm when it should be soothing but it was an anchor. Each of it was, while he closed his eyes and tried to regain his calm.</p><p>“Well, that went better than shooting yourself,” the youngest spoke with delight in his voice, clearly amused and cheerful. </p><p>Just how wrong he had been in his assumption became obvious when Jeno spluttered and looked at both of them with eyes wide from surprise. “You did what? Are you wounded? Did you hurt yourself? Why would you shoot yours-”</p><p>“Calm down, tiger.” All too easily, Jaemin managed to stop his best friend from rambling, and put on a bemused smile. In shorts words, he recounted their recent happenings, that did little to calm Jeno down immediately but as the story unfolded, it became obvious that nothing had actually happened. And the noise was a nice background whirring to Renjun’s racing mind. Eventually, he could feel his roommate’s eyes on him again, as he asked, “I think we should only try again tomorrow. Is that okay with you, dear?”</p><p>With as much strength as he could muster, Renjun gave him an evil glare. “And then what? Starve to death because I can’t eat anymore?” His hand was still trembling from the strain, up to the point even just holding it became a strain. At least Jeno took more pity on him than Jaemin - stupid sadist - and lifted a glass of water for him to be able to take a sip carefully. The cold liquid felt soothing to his parched throat, and clumsy as he already was, he couldn’t even feel bothered by the few drops that escaped from the corner of his mouth thanks to the challenge that was letting someone else drink. </p><p>“What if we don’t try with food?” Jaemin asked, cautiously watching them. “Let’s have you drink something. With a straw.” The implication was obvious. Drinking demanded less hand-to-eye coordination, and with a straw, he wouldn’t run into as much of a chance of injuring himself with tools again. Swallowing some water would be straining enough for a beginning stage.</p><p>“If I choke, I’ll make sure to asphyxiate you in your sleep,” Renjun threatened in return. He didn’t deny the possibility. Speaking in Renjun terms, there was an improvement of communication. And the water had helped him ground himself, despite his still shaking fingers, he could at least hold the spoon properly, and as careful as possible, he went back to eating. That both of the best friends kept a watchful eye on him did not escape him, to an extent, because it was justified, he could even understand. He might not exactly enjoy, but he could understand. Or maybe he did, because attention like that was not actually that bad anyways.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Compared to the excruciating training, the few hours every odd day he got to spend with Doyoung and in the older’s office were way more to his favor. Recently, he had grown onto digital art, the lack of trouble that was having to put up an easel for his canvas and sort through the colors or clean his brushes afterwards. On the other hand, he had all these things in his room, sorted into shelves and boxes by now and making his half look more homey than Jaemin’s. Sometimes it bothered him, that he wanted to paint and Doyoung’s office would be closed for him, or that he couldn’t just pull out his oil paints because it might wake his roommate up. </p><p>To make the best of his new medium and his lasting creativity, or rather the monotony of drawing Jeno’s face and different body parts, stopping by Doyoung’s office and dropping into his little working space had become pretty much routine to him now. By now, thanks to even his breakfast time having turned into a training session, this and lunch were about the any times he was actually able to relax. Especially amidst excruciating physical training that had his bones cracking as he so much as stretched his arms upwards. </p><p>“Doesn’t sound too healthy if you ask me,” the IT member pointed out, voice stuck somewhere between amusement and worry, and it wasn’t like Renjun didn’t get it. His body felt more alive than ever, slowly but surely the workout got to him, had him feel more refreshed and energized, but his bones felt like crunchy cereals, worse than when he had even sat in front of his easel for hours to the point of his shoulder joints creaking in protest. “How does the training get along?”</p><p>“You mean except having to shoot my roommate on the daily?” The artist asked drily. It only made the hacking specialist laugh in schadenfreude. “I’m getting better at it. Johnny said I could start with sharpshooting soon if I wanted to. The sparring is torturous as ever but I can hold out half a minute more without being thrown onto my back than before.” Albeit one and a half minutes to hold on were still a lousy record to date, and his pride didn’t exactly like the excuses of how little experience he had had with fighting so far. </p><p>“You’re fighting with Jeno, right?” Doyoung asked, albeit the way he pulled up a CCTV recording showing one of their matches clearly told of his awareness of their situation. That the security system was one of the favorite things for the older to keep track of also was something Renjun was aware of. Considering sitting in front of computer screens all day long and fending off cyber attacks mostly, or hacking systems to receive classified data, was not really that entertaining, it was also something he could understand. It reminded him a bit of Criminal Mind’s Garcia, actually. “You’re doing well, considering he has a cheat code.”</p><p>Cheat code was a funny way to put it. It did make sense, it fit well, considering it was a brain implant. A fascinating little thing, actually, with a digital analysis of worldwide fighting styles broken down into a manual those with the right physical capabilities could easily execute. Although, as far as the artist was informed, there were only three befitting of it so far. </p><p>“How’s it going along with Jeno anyways?” The older kept asking, accompanied by the clicking of keyboards and, from the corner of his eyes, Renjun could see one of the screens now showing live footage of Jaehyun and Jeno working out together. Not on the mats, in the actual gym, taking turns supporting each other on the bench presses currently and for a moment it had him tempted to calculate the accumulated weight based on what he can see but he was a tad too distracted by the revealed flashes of skin and rippling muscles. Stupid teenage monkeybrain.</p><p>Like that, it took him a second to process what Doyoung had asked. It had come as no surprise to him that Jeno made sure to check up on the Intelligence every once in a while between training, not when he considered that they were close and the fighter was a favorite around these few square meters. Thus it wouldn’t come as surprise to him, neither, that Jeno had asked about advice, or maybe just whined a bit. Doyoung seemed to be a smarter choice than their unit chief’s boyfriend, even when Jaehyun was a mentor. And after all the months spent here, Renjun had also finally managed to maneuver his way around the gossip laden minefield the unit was.</p><p>“I caught him making out with Jaemin recently,” he answered honestly. Although it might be the wrong term, after all, he had merely been catapulted into the younger’s vision and therefore ended up seeing Jeno looking all sorts of debauched but with a greed and longing in his eyes that would be impossible to portray in paintings. For a second he hesitated, partly faulted to Doyoung choking on air, then he added silently, “Is it weird that I didn’t mind it? They clearly enjoyed it and in a way I got to be part of it but isn’t the normal thing to be jealous?”</p><p>Merely from the calculative glint in the other’s eyes, he was certain the question arose who exactly he was supposed to be jealous of. Only the question was not asked, and Renjun felt grateful for that. Instead, Doyoung asked, “How do you feel about them?”</p><p>A long while ago, actually, the Special had come to terms with not only feeling attracted to the two of them - anyone with eyes and in their right mind should be - but, each in their own way, they made him feel at ease. Jeno was like an open cage, something to shield him from the outside world, to keep him protected and a place that was home while never actually locking him in. Jaemin was the same and yet different, a homey place, something warm like a fireplace to help him relieve his stress by relaxing, someone to take care of him and especially his emotional needs. Jeno was reluctant in his physical needs, sharing little touches and meaningful gazes and it made those times they took to laying close together while watching movies or when playing shooters as excuse to learn about weapons more meaningful. An opposite end to the spectrum of Jaemin and his neverending affection, openly expressing himself in ways that had Renjun pushing the other away more often than not, even when every time he was so readily taken in had him feeling proud. Once he had seen Donghyuck getting repelled by a hug and that had been equally as entertaining as it had been terrifying to watch. </p><p>In short, it was hard to describe and yet so easy. They made him feel the same way but with a different approach, and it had his thoughts all messed up while being at ease all the same. In other words, “I<br/>
think I feel the same about both of them…”</p><p>“Then don’t stress it.” Doyoung said it so easily, as if it were as important as a bee in summer. A problem not even worth thinking about. Renjun released a confused sound.</p><p>Without any sound, the older turned around in his swivel chair so they were face to face, mug of coffee in his hands that surely had already gone cold and would now taste stale and disgusting. “Sometimes we don’t love just one person. I’m not gonna say it works every time, some also use falling in love with another person as an excuse to rid themselves of their partner. But you love your parents equally, why wouldn’t you have two romantic partners you can love equally either? You don’t need to question everything to understand it just because it’s out of what’s socially considered the norm.”</p><p>For a second, Renjun actually felt impressed. He might have been for longer, would not at that moment a little alarm go off that he could already recognize as a breach of safety. Surprisingly, as top secret as the unit apparently was, it was like Pandora’s Box to a lot of other agencies, sometimes even the Korean. A well kept secret, a special unit with outstanding records but no public data. Doyoung sure had a lot to take care of in that aspect. At times they also only just backfired him who had hacked them before. It was never boring for sure.</p><p>The words still lingered his mind as he returned to his graphic tablet and the design he had on his screen. Maybe it was not as wrong as he had thought but there still was the matter that, in the end, he had little to no experience in the field of love and relationship. Even if Doyoung treated it an easy matter, the artist thought he still had some ways to pave first.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Jaemin, as it had turned out over the course of the recent days, was one torturous instructor. No matter the amount of upset grumbles and threats of asphyxiation at night, there was no way Renjun could escape their special training during breakfast or lunch or sometimes even at night. The only consolation of his had been that they had taken a greater caution on what occupation of his they chose: breakfast usually had him eating some fruits Jaemin had prepared for him, rather than hot soup or rice that could spill; they had moved to asking for a straw for his drinks during lunch so he couldn’t tip a whole glass of water or the likes over his body; and evening exercises, on those days the both of them didn’t feel utterly exhausted, apparently meant drawing something discernable. </p><p>Currently, at least, it was cozy, carrying, once again, this sense of domesticity he had grown to be spoiled with ever since he had moved in here. Nights that were usually lonely, spent only sitting in his room and drawing, or maybe watching a movie on the TV he had saved up for in his room, had now become more and more sociable. Recently even, after the odd trio of Mark, Jaehyun and Taeyong had been sent on a mission, Donghyuck had come over for a gaming session among the few of them. Compared to the video games Jeno liked to indulge - and if Renjun had understood right, sometimes were joined in by Donghyuck and even Johnny; bummer - and sometimes made Renjun play too, the nearly old-fashioned board games had been a fun change of pace. </p><p>With Donghyuck around, and that he had learnt quite fast, there was never a dull moment, it was always entertaining, be it for those times he could team up with the other Special to bash either of his two roommates, or be it for another bickering exchange between the two of them. It had been fun, regardless of the younger later on whining about them all being too flirty, merely because Jaemin was someone who had never held back on affections, and where they seemed to be aimed for comfort or just to get Jeno and him flustered, it had also been quite amusing to watch Donghyuck and Jaemin go into some sort of rivalry over who could be more adorable (read: annoying). A striking contrast to the fighter, who seemed to use his touches as a means to ground them, something to bring them down, or a seemingly careless method of expressing his needs. Either way, it seemed to have been too much for the smart one, whose kind-of-boyfriend was out on a mission while he, not yet at the right age to take his pledge, had been left behind.</p><p>As ironic as it seemed, for Renjun, too, hadn’t been close to anyone in a romantic manner before, he could get behind that. No matter his teasing and mocking, it was obvious Donghyuck felt something for his future partner agent, and it was something about anyone could see. On the other hand, it seemed these habits especially gave it away. Donghyuck liked to make fun of them all, yet it was always like a challenge, asking them to top it up, to give him the thrill he lacked on an intellectual niveau because no one could rival him on intelligence. Yet, where feelings were involved, it was like a defense mechanism, something to keep Mark away, out of his vicinity because for someone who thought too much, surely not few were spent on the many eventualities this could go wrong. Renjun, in that way, felt a bit of pity with the other.</p><p>And that night, as he had pondered this thought, he hadn’t been able to help himself looking at Jeno. Had he not gotten to know the fighter with such level of intimacy, in a room where he was stripped bare, nothing more than a voice to hear and skin to touch, he might not have been able to let quite as many guards down around Jeno. Nor Jaemin, for that matter, and while their shared bedroom certainly hadn’t been the same as a room desolate of all illumination and outside interference, there still was a certain inclination to spill one’s most honest thoughts at the dead of night. </p><p>Such a striking contrast to now, with the soothing white-golden light of their living room and bundled in cozy but thin blankets, as it was himself he could see through Jaemin’s eyes. It wasn’t even anything dramatic, he couldn’t even focus on anything else unless it was on the younger’s whim, but he could still take in the out of focus details of their common area. The few succulents on a lonely shelf on the wall behind him, ones Jaemin meticulously took care off because, his words, “We all need a little green in life!” There was also a little bookshelf with only entertainment mediums like movies or games stacked, and it did add a bit of color to their home. Not unlike the too many art tools in their shared bedroom, actually.</p><p>So lost on making out these details that didn’t even mean anything, he hadn’t even noticed Jaemin - or his hand, actually - had moved. Before he knew, the younger had crawled across the couch and placed his hand on the sketchbook to inspect his progress and, albeit it was not a reasonable drawing of great expanse, by sheer muscle memory he had managed to draw a little Moomin in a corner of the page and also managed to draw a quite plain version of a cactus. It must be sufficient for Jaemin, for albeit he couldn’t see his face, he was certain there was a smile on those pretty lips. The one liked to call affectionately the dumb one, with his upper teeth poking out between his lips and mouth stretched until it rivaled a caricature more than an honest expression. It was simply a very palpable one.</p><p>From the paper, Jaemin’s eyes travelled up, traced the sleeve of the oversized shirt he had stolen from Jeno’s hamper of recently washed clothes and further up, the expanse of his neck, his chin, eyes, nose, lips. He could see the confusion in his own face, the way it showed more than he had been able to express at the beginning of their training, when his body had been sat like a mannequin, stiff and frozen. It had slowly been morphed, as he learned to control his limbs despite his mind being held up somewhere else, he couldn’t help notice how more and more of his emotions had been poured into his atual frame, and also his visage. </p><p>There was also a familiar pull, the white sparks at the edge of his vision that condemned him to return to his own. He willed it down for another moment, just a few seconds, and it seemingly was enough. Despite being still within Jaemin’s sight - literally and, well, literally - the other had leaned in, and if he focused enough, he was certain he could feel the pressure of their lips meeting, barely there but evident. Jaemin, too, could observe his reaction, the widening of his eyes with surprise, the flush of his cheeks. It was odd, getting a ghost sensation of everything and seeing it so vividly, and this time he didn’t resist the pull as he was dragged back to his own vision. </p><p>Jaemin, so close to him, right in front of him, looked nothing short of determined. His eyes had already fallen shut, to focus on the kiss, lips tasting of the lollipop consumed until minutes ago, with the tangy aftertaste of too intense coffee. The kiss was still light, and with a little startled noise, Renjun realized it was because the younger had given him a chance, to pull back or lean into it, it was a decision that was left for him to make. Apparently, the noise had been such indicator, the little sound he made enough for the blond to pull back.</p><p>If looked at it objectively, it might come across as some rejection, sounding so very startled. Yet the moment Jaemin tried to retreat, when barely a hair’s width of space was left between them and their lips, instinct kicked in, and he didn’t even ponder it over as he immediately reached out for the collar of the other’s shirt, pulling him close again so their lips could meet in a kiss that was more clumsy than the previous. Their teeth collided in an uncomfortable way from the little space their lips had parted to facilitate breathing. It didn’t do anything to deter their willingness, rather he could feel the other pair pull into a smile, parting further, and he didn’t hesitate. </p><p>Having spent time with Jeno before, like this, nearly exactly like this, he knew what to do, what steps to take, and also what he liked. And right now he wanted more, like a void inside his chest that could only be filled by kissing Jaemin right this moment, like a hunger he thought could only be satiated this moment, he dove right in. The little space offered to him he claimed with vigor, pushed his tongue past the limitations to go for more, and it did fulfill him. It had his chest filled with warmth and his heart stuttering a beat before breaking into a crescendo when Jaemin replied with the same vigor and more. </p><p>So easy, it was so easy to lose track of time like this, with their lips meeting again and again, and with never ending enthusiasm, close to the comfort he had grown to feel around Jaemin. Right in this moment, Renjun thought he felt quite content, with the warmth of another body against his like this, a feeling he had never known he had missed until now, and their breaths slowly mingling until it was only one cloud of hot air between their lips. The only thing unsettling was that little dark spot in his chest, the little void that was not yet filled, as if something were missing.</p><p>Just what it was that lacked at this very moment he didn’t know, not until he heard the latch of their door lock in again. Jaemin, too, must have heard it, as they parted fluidly and naturally, only for their heads to turn into the same direction. It was easy like this, as contrary to their mouths their positions had changed little, leaning sideways against the backrest, fingers entwined or tangled in Jaemin’s shirt, buried in his own hair. It felt warm, skin against skin, but as he caught sight of Jeno, he felt it turn cold in a second.</p><p>Right. The void. It grew immensely, in a split second and he no longer knew whether what he had done had been right or wrong, and he wished he could see into people’s hearts instead of copying what their eyes perceived. For currently his own felt rather useless, taking in Jeno’s untelling face, cold eyes that held little of that excited spark that was usually glinting bright. Over the months, he had learned to read the fighter, the little insinuations behind every action, how not showing any emotions didn’t always mean someone was without expression. It was the same as Jaemin’s clipped smiles, sometimes too tight to be entirely honest.</p><p>To love more than one people equally, Doyoung had called it, and Renjun had never felt closer to it right this moment, trapped between the affectionate warmth of Jaemin’s body and the unreadable cold of Jeno’s eyes. A push and pull, and he didn’t know what to make of it, even less when Jeno only smiled and left for the bathroom. And just like earlier, when he had leaned in for the second kiss, he didn’t think much of it now as he parted from the younger, only clutched his sketchbook to his chest and staked to their room.</p><p>It wasn’t until nighttime, when he was certain Jaemin was asleep and Jeno must be too, because there had been no light emanating from the little slit beneath the door, and when he himself couldn’t sleep, that Renjun turned in his bed to face his roommate. For the first time since weeks they slept separate, and he didn’t need to be no mind reader to know it had caused a bit of hurt to the Special, nor to be aware of how much harder it was to enter the process of letting his subconscious handle his today’s experiences. Freud had called dreams as the keepers of sleep, for it allowed the brain to entangle all kinds of thoughts to keep the brain busy as the body was at rest. Scientists also reasoned  the brain to be more active during sleep than while awake, but as his mind kept spinning and thoughts went in circles, Renjun was no longer as certain about that theory. </p><p>“Were we wrong?” He asked into the silence of the room, albeit there was no answer according to his own anticipations. Simply just saying it out loud felt sufficient to get the thought out of his mind for the few moments it took for exhaustion to catch up to him and sleep to overcome him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Do I love annoying endings on my chapters? perhaps I do.</p><p>As a reminder, I do have <a href="https://twitter.com/starrymeis">twitter</a> and a <a href="https://curiouscat.me/starrymeis">curiouscat</a></p><p>I also realized I didn't update the chapter publication date on the 2nd so if that confused anyone, I'm honestly sorry! I had been on the way to cinema so I didn't pay as much attention... welp!</p><p>For the end note, I will point out there is no correlation between video games and (gun) violence, studies proved that, and on the contrary, I even believe (shooting) games can help you relax if you're really stressed and need an outlet.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let's start this chapter with some drum rolls cause, finally, we got to mock missions!</p><p>The way I was surprised when I figured they took place in chapter 4 while I thought it was chapter 5... whoops?<br/>These were actually one of the most straining parts to write for me because I didn't know what kind of mission to base this on, who to use as "enemies" and so on. I did kind of brush through it? but well, this is an impression of what their later future might entail!</p><p>Do me a favor and pretend I knew what I was doing there...</p><p><b>trigger warnings</b> - mentions of violence and actual/simulated injury. non-consensual drug use (a short-lived tranquilizer with little side-effects).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The mock missions felt quite like a final exam, the process of finishing something and if only for the solemn mood it brought over them, no matter the enthusiasm Jaehyun and Johnny tried to bring into it. Which seemed funny, considering they weren’t even in charge of it, only around to cheer them on or, as Doyoung had also pointed out, to give them some advice during the actual process. Neither of that, though, had managed to bring the mood up after the team leaders, Taeyong and Yuta, who Renjun had previously only seen in the passing, had given them a little speech. For a split second, he had even felt grateful Jeno had not once again brought up the question of whether he actually wanted to do this.</p><p>Like finals allowing someone to proceed to the next grade in school, this mock would be like the entrance ticket to the agency for him, to actually become a member of it, rather than some sort of semi-guest. But he wasn’t as certain about doing it as he should be, not until he had received a pass from their team leaders and even then, when the question who Jeno would team up with remained, he felt a bit uncertain. Not thinking about it but just diving into it head first seemed like both the smarter and more irresponsible method. He wouldn’t need to explain himself nor justify his actions, but neither would he have to think about it and possibly come to the conclusion that just proceeding his daily life and continuing on as a renowned artist was more his thing. </p><p>Now that he had better control over his urges and didn’t zone out anymore against his will, he could risk going back to his normal life without being called crazy and if the doctors accepted it too, he would even get out of his parents’ conservatorship. He could paint again, even when it made no difference. Despite all his distractions and having focused more on digital art, he had managed to get out a handful paintings throughout the months which his parents most likely had sold in his name already. Maybe if he returned to his life, in a year or two he’d have his own manager and could decide to whom to sell at what price all on his own. He could live on his own again. Away from the comfort of Jeno’s and Jaemin’s warmth…</p><p>A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and when Doyoung shot him a nasty look for interrupting like this, he felt his heart skip an embarrassed beat. The older only coughed inconspicuously and Renjun, with a wry little smile, paid attention again. It seemed he was just in time for the interesting part, as Doyoung’s lackluster powerpoint presentation showed a giant warehouse. </p><p>“It’s usually meant as a storage for the other agencies but we borrow it for times like these,” the older explained casually, and in an equally casually manner sat down on his table. “We remodelled it to fit the requirements of your examination. You’re having two different goals so you can’t just copy what the others did and they won’t be specifically cut out to fit or counter your abilities, if that’s what you think. Most other things we’ll try to get as close to reality as possible. You can pick your weapons of choice and someone will act as your comm link, who’ll observe you and guide you according to the outlines of the mission.</p><p>But once you’re in, it’s your job. You find out who your enemies are, you treat them according to plan, and then get out of there again. We will include some traps, so to say, when your aim is to steal something, and you get caught, an alarm will be set and if you don’t escape within a certain time, we consider you having been caught by the enemy. This is just one of the possibilities but it is one. Are we clear?”</p><p>“Clear,” Jeno and Jaemin echoed, but Renjun was too distracted by their synch to actually get to reply himself. It reminded him once more that these two were best friends, and willingly or not, he had kind of stepped into the dynamic they had already built for themselves, someone to interrupt their play, a benched player running into the middle of the field during a match. </p><p>“Renjun?” Doyoung asked carefully, and the younger’s eyes widened as he looked at the older with the embarrassment of having been caught again. “Clear?”</p><p>Silently, and a bit shy still, he muttered, “Clear…”</p><p>With a clap and the promise of lunch, Jaehyun and Johnny were the first ones out, quickly followed by Jeno and Jaemin. For the first time in days, Renjun realized that his two roommates seemed to struggle less with the whole ordeal than he did, or perhaps he was just blinded by overthinking. He wasn’t certain, he hadn’t stuck around for a talk after the incident of having been caught redhanded with Jaemin, and he hadn’t made an effort to make advances towards either of them after. On the opposite, he had rather retreated to them, up to the point his roommate had made a change to prepare a little serving of breakfast for him specifically as he had taken to avoid eating with these two. So he honestly didn’t even know whether or not these two were on good terms again, or whether he was the only one out of the loop among the three of them.</p><p>Already on the way to approaching the door, with his phone pulled out to shoot Donghyuck a message about having lunch together, it was only when Doyoung called out his name that he noticed the older hadn’t left either. Rather, perched on the desk still, the Intelligence was looking at him with a little frown on his face. “Are you sure you want to proceed with this? With them?”</p><p>The golden question. He wasn’t entirely certain, and faced with it now, Renjun barely so managed to suppress the arousing doubts within himself and shot back a, “Do I have a choice?”</p><p>His query seemed to amuse Doyoung who released but a little amused huff before turning serious again. “Don’t we always have a choice?” His hands fell down, in seemingly a resigning movement. “You’re a good kid, Renjun. Don’t jump into this if you’re not sure about this. You’ve seen yourself what can happen to the likes of us and if you’re not certain it’s something you can shoulder, you should maybe reconsider…”</p><p>If he had to be honest, he wasn’t certain. Not because of the risks, he had been able to bear seeing Johnny getting into a near-death situation, and he, like everyone else, knew it were things like these he was willing to risk on missions. What he was not certain of, though, was whether he could handle the burden that was being stuck between Jeno and Jaemin for much longer, stuck with his own feelings and now knowing how to speak them out loud, or what to do if they decided to leave him behind. These scared him way more than taking a shot to the knee, especially when they had people like Hyoyeon or Joohyun to take care of them.</p><p>“Talk to them,” Doyoung adviced, like a psychic able to read his thoughts, and it didn’t creep Renjun out for the first time. The teen only smiled wryly, and left once he was shushed away. He knew the older was right, but it didn’t actually mean he would adhere to his words, not when the losses seemed to outrank the aims.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Jeno’s and his mission description was rather easy, as turned out. Get in there, find a buzzer to press, and try to avoid any and all confrontation; if they ran into a supposed enemy, they’d have to eliminate them. Albeit eliminate was a bit of a harsh word when guns had been exchanged with modified laser tag technology and they would rather knock out their rivals than break their necks. At least that’s the most Renjun had gotten out of their explanation. Taeyong would work as their comm link and it did seem a bit intimidating to be partnered with their team leader, only that the older had looked upon them kindly and wished them well before all of this began. Now his voice was but a static background sound in their ears thanks to the little earpieces they had received.</p><p>“Three… Two… One…” Taeyong counted down, and in time, the warehouse door in front of them unlocked with a click. Renjun looked at Jeno questioningly and the older signed him a five twice with his hand. Ten seconds, then he should follow. Their strategy talk some minutes ago had been their longest conversation in days, ironically so, considering Renjun hadn’t been able to skip out of their morning runs so far.</p><p>In basics, their strategy was easy. As Jeno was the stronger one between the two of them, he’d head in first to scout for any possible dangers, and Renjun, with his build more befitting of the stealth part of their mission, would follow after and look for the buzzer they only knew the vague location of. In case of a threat, he was to avoid and escape it rather than confront, both because he was, despite all the rigorous training, not yet actually ready for a proper fight simulation, and because it would cost them time he could use on getting closer to and finding the buzzer.</p><p>In hindsight, he kind of should have seen it coming. Passing the ten seconds, and opening the door, he realized the first trick was already played on him. If what Doyoung had said had been true, they had had enough options to decorate the warehouse and design it to their wishes, and as it was, it awfully looked like the one he had seen in his vision the day Johnny had been shot. One might argue all warehouses looked the same, that there couldn’t be much of a difference between them but fact was, those were the same down to the repetitive brands on their sides. </p><p>A heavy sigh escaped the artist’s lips as he looked at them, and a part of his consciousness felt like a black little warp, just waiting to lunge forth and swallow him whole, or whatever it would do then. Only the resounding echo of the door falling shut behind him and the forthcoming reminder of the mission he had, mock or not, kept it at bay. Because up until now he had thought he was fine, that what he had seen that day wouldn’t bother him quite as much anymore, but between just recalling a memory on his own and being confronted with it so blatantly now, there clearly was a difference.</p><p>“You got this, Renjun, you can do this,” he whispered to himself, regardless of how dumb it made him feel. He had never been one to encourage himself like this anyways. To find something to latch his thoughts onto, he looked around what he could see of the warehouse that was barely so illuminated, hinting at corners and turns and frames, but not actually sufficing in letting him see all of it perfectly. If he could actually see past the many containers higher than his height anyways. </p><p>It was enough, anyways, for him to figure out there was an upper floor, a gallery framing the sides. Usually, if one wanted to keep or hide something, the likeliest would be to put it up above, out of just anyone’s reach. Even if he wouldn’t find it up there, he was certain he could get a better look over the planning of the warehouse than he currently had. Which only left him with the task to find the stairway leading up to it.</p><p>Quietly as possible he made his way around, one hand secured well to the gun strapped to his belt, right next to the flashlight he wisely had foregone, and to say it was nerve wracking would be an understatement. He loved horror movies, dearly, but despite all his appreciation for the thrill they entailed, the heart racing and sputtering it caused him was already awful enough. Make it a hundredfold, and that would perfectly describe his current situation. Every little sound he heard seemed to be louder than thunder in a stormy night, easily outdoing the background noise that was the sound of his own blood rushing in his veins he could hear. His heart felt tense and if he ended up in a moment of feeling his left arm go numb throughout this mock mission, he neither would be surprised.</p><p>Silently as possible he slapped his own cheek, trying to focus on the task at hand, and that didn’t include giving himself a little reprimanding clap. He had to get his act together, and stop worrying about every little thing so much. Not hearing anything so far was good, it meant neither was someone on his tails nor had Jeno encountered someone so far. All good, all normal, all-</p><p>“Hi,” a voice in front of him greeted all too happily, and Renjun would forever deny the shriek he had released upon being startled like this. He couldn’t see much of the other man’s features but what he could see of his physical condition was intimidating enough. The other was easily half a head taller than him, more so than even Jeno and Jaemin and these two were already annoyingly taller than him. Furthermore, the dim light did nothing to hide the one surprising him like that was well built, and height and weight on their own put Renjun at a disadvantage, combined it was his destined loss. </p><p>So, admittedly, it wasn’t the bravest thing to do, but he did make a dash for it. He clearly remembered the second pathway he had seen just on the other side of the container, the one he currently opted for as he sprinted around the corner in a speed that would quickly deplete his stamina and demand him to slow down but it was his only chance. Barely so he could hear the cluttering noises of something bumping against something else, heavy weights altogether, with the dots not connecting in his mind. It could have been Jeno somewhere else, having encountered someone not unlike him. Could have been Tall &amp; Dangerous on his pursuit. Definitely it should have not been said guy suddenly landing in front of him like some bad superhero imitation.</p><p>“Man, Thor got nothing on me!” Definitely some bad superhero imitation. “Now, little kitten, should we play?”</p><p>“Pretty sure you’re the cat if you cha-” His words broke off as he had to dodge a punch thrown at him, arriving at a speed that seemed similar to Jeno’s. “Fuck…” Fighting still was not his forte, and Tall &amp; Dangerous seemed to be aware of that, relentlessly going for attack after attack without giving Renjun much more of an option than to avoid getting hit or blocking of those he could. Each of the hits he did have to take, though, seemed to rattle him up to the bones, not unlike what he was familiar with from sparring, and finally his brain seemed to be motivated enough to catch up.</p><p>“Oh, shit!” He exclaimed as he realized just who he was up against, unfortunately, and his chances of so much as getting to escape only seemed to lower again. If his suspicion was right, he was pitched against Lucas, and while the foreigner had skipped that cheat code of a brain implant, he still had the physical advantages of any other Superioris. And while Renjun had learned to block and evade hits thrown at him and how to counter certain ones, he was definitely not familiar with enough styles to confidently say he could shoulder this kind of confrontation. </p><p>He bit down any comment on fairness and, instead, tried to find the pattern, any kind of hint that would allow him to understand when there would be an opening for him to make use of and that allowed him to land an attack of his own. Hopefully one that was distracting enough to allow him to attempt another escape again…</p><p>His fingers brushed against the holster and without thinking, allowing instinct to kick in, he pulled out his gun and aimed it down, shooting at the blurry image of Lucas’ foot he caught sight of. There was no bullet or the likes, amplified laser tag simply didn’t work like that, but there was the other indeed faltering in his steps and the numbing effect of technology, rather than the pain of getting shot, kicked in. It would work well against normal people, did little against a Superioris, as Renjun figured with Tall &amp; Dangerous coming in with the next attack. Only this time he was prepared, fingers closing around the punching arm, and using the force already put into the movement, he combined it with his own to throw the other to the ground.</p><p>Having a handicapped foot would make getting up a lot more difficult, climbing containers too, so he shut off his brain and just took off without looking back. Blindly he secured his gun back in its holster, but just as he was about to run past a turn, someone stepped out and caught him in an embrace. The force of his own speed had them stumble back a bit, yet before he could react, there was a little sting at his neck and his vision went black.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>His vision came back, or rather, it did not. He could barely so open his eyes and what he thought might be paralysis at first, quickly turned out to be just some fabric wrapped around his eyes. It felt weird, off, and robbed off his sight his instincts told him immediately to reach out for Jaemin’s to see something again, even if it was not that which was in front of him. But aside from his rationality telling him not to, there was also a slight haze clouding his mind, aftereffect of whatever had been injected to him.</p><p>So Lucas - if it was Lucas, he still had to get that confirmed - had not been alone, and the other person had drugged him. How long had he been out of it then? Was Jeno alright? Where was Jeno? Had they got him too? The worry and shock combined were enough have him jerk back in the chair, legs scratching along the floor, merely for a second before another weight pressed the furniture down on the ground again and kept him at bay at once. </p><p>His arms were tied to the back of it, and while his feet hadn’t been embarrassingly been tied to the legs, they were still tied together, meaning he was without defenses and quite extradited on top of that.<br/>
“Wondering where your little Jeno is?” A voice asked, right next to his ear, and it sounded wrong. The voice he had never heard before sounded too soft, gentle nearly, but it had the hairs at his nape stand up with the underlying threat. There was a clicking sound and, there, the noises he had grown familiar with, little grunts and groans Jeno tended to release whenever he was caught in a match with Jaehyun and had to take painful hits. “It’s so easy, Renjun. Just tell me you’re giving up right now, and I’ll tell the others to let him off.”</p><p>Others. Plural, not one. His fingers tensed and his hands formed fists where they were tied at his back and forced against the backrest.</p><p>“He must be tiring out slowly. You might not have been out for that long but they chased him around quite a lot already, and they’re skilled. Cute little Jeno might be strong and skilled, with his whole genetic makeup and the microchip, but how long do you think he can hold out against trained agents? Those who have actually killed, who hold no apprehension towards killing and hurting? They could easily break his arms without even a batting a lash and all that is between Jeno and them is you, Renjun-ah.”</p><p>Nimble fingers caressed his cheek, tenderly, and the artist wasn’t certain it was meant to soothe him of intimidate him. “You always have a choice,” Doyoung had previously said, only just days ago, but his thoughts felt foggy, the memory way more distant and far away than he had thought. His mind didn’t process at the speed it should, and between the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins while being on the lookout, and this forcefully dazed state he was in now, his brain had been thrown into a loophole. </p><p>It seemed all too realistic, the idea of Jeno getting injured, the thought that he could be blamed for that, and for what? For pressing a buzzer? Refusing to? A voice inside his head told him this was only a mock mission, an exam they had to pass, but there had never been a rule stating they can’t injure each other. If someone had already willingly drugged him, who was to say the ominous people Jeno had to face wouldn’t accidentally injure him for real, with killer instincts or whatever kicking in and hurting him? </p><p>Sure, he could also bet on Jeno getting to beat these guys and finding the buzzer himself, or coming in for a rescue mission. The former would be the smarter, the latter quite nonsensical for Jeno would have to face yet another round of adversaries. Unfortunately, the latter seemed to be more of a Jeno-option regardless. </p><p>“Come on, Renjun, make your choice,” the tempting voice called out again, and as the teenage dropped his head back with a bothered sound, the finger tracing along his stretched throat wasn’t far away. The sounds transmitted from wherever Jeno was grew louder, and he could hear it, as obvious as the light in the sky being reflected blue on a sunny day, as clear as the water in riffs, the strain in Jeno’s breathing, the pattern of his in- and exhales, the accumulation of little strained noises. The fighter couldn’t hold out much longer, and if he didn’t happen to beat these guys fast, he’d end up being too worn out to continue anyways.</p><p>You always have a choice, but he didn’t, that much he slowly became aware of. He had started a silent countdown in his head, wanting to give Jeno just one more minute, one more chance, regardless of the words whispered into his ear, but as he heard the pained sound released by the younger and an unfortunate crack, he couldn’t help himself anymore. “I give up!” He yelled, before he had so much as processed the thought to formulate the words, and immediately repeated, “I give up, I give up! Leave him alone!”</p><p>Renjun heard, rather than saw, the lights in the warehouse being turned off, and an unknown female voice was transmitted through speakers, declaring, “Mock mission Huang Renjun and Lee Jeno - discontinued. I repeat, mock mission discontinued. Please return to the operations center and report. I repeat, please return to the operations center.”</p><p>His body slacked, losing tension all at once, and he suddenly felt thankful for the chair he was tied up against for the support it gave him. There were fingers working on the knots around his wrists that came undone in seconds, followed by the blindfold which was removed with a gentle reminder of, “Don’t open your eyes too fast or it will be uncomfortable.”</p><p>Try waking up to Jaemin’s smile then, Renjun countered in his mind, without saying it out loud. Instead, he blinked his eyes open, soon able to look at the two who had been charge of holding him captive. Based on figure, the honey haired was Mr Tall &amp; Dangerous, while the blond was someone he hadn’t seen before, evidently the one who had blackmailed him like this and who currently offered him a shy and apologetic little smile. What was meant as a kind gesture, though, only made the artist feel ashamed with his decision. Whatever the right decision had been, he was certain blowing off the mission hadn’t been it.</p><p>Still, currently all he could do was to evade the doubts creeping up in his thoughts and to make his way out of the warehouse and to the car that would take them back to the impromptu operations center that had been set up in a hotel nearby. He didn’t want to think about anything, actually, neither did he want to talk to anyone or face Jeno, although that was not something he could avoid. Just get it over and done with, then.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Nervously he fiddled with the pencil he held between his fingers, turning it around, and around, and around, until Johnny’s way bigger hand wrapped around his and stopped his fiddling. “Nothing will happen, Renjun.”</p><p>The younger glared at his mentor, the comeback already prepared for takeoff on the tip of his tongue because something had happened. He hadn’t been good enough, and he had needed to break off their mock, and because he had been stupid enough to let himself be caught by Jungwoo, Jeno had spent several more minutes in a fight than necessary and walked out with one of his bones cracked and on the verge of breaking. Something had already happened, and that time around it had been because of him.</p><p>“You can’t blame yourself for that,” Johnny pointed out, as if he had read his thoughts, and it made him all the more uncomfortable. Forget about the exam, forget about Lucas and Jungwoo and getting drugged, forget about everything but the fact that his shortcomings had meant Jeno’s injury. “I had my first mission with Taeyong. He nearly lost his leg that day.”</p><p>His eyes widened on instinct as Renjun looked at the older, then at one of the screens where the unit leader’s movements were traced by a camera. The other half, Yuta, was in the room with them, observing the progress of the mission, and the artist didn’t even need to ask who Taeyong’s aim would be. Seeing as the leader was teamed up with his boyfriend, it was obvious enough, they wouldn’t pitch Jaehyun against Jeno when they were already so familiar with each other. Instead, it would be Taeyong, Jaehyun and Jaemin thrown into a brawl and what sounded like casting the visuals for a magazine cover contest would instead end up in a messy exchange. On another screen was a woman discussing something with a man Renjun had seen around earlier on the hallways, and if he remembered correctly, that guy had also spoken Mandarin. It had already fed his suspicions about the Chinese/international unit being around to help out on this, but it wasn’t the most important part right now. Instead, his eyes scanned over Taeyong on camera, movements fluid and without any hitch, not the least trace of any kind of injury to be found. </p><p>“He recovered,” his mentor supplied wisely, “And Jeno will too. He’s equipped and we have great doctors too, so don’t pull your hair out, Renjun. Enjoy the show.” Easier said than done, but then again, Johnny had way less to worry about him. To the artist, this meant a lot more, it was about who would team up with whom, and a method to measure whether or not he would be useful in fieldwork. All these things Johnny had already left behind, being a well established agent and all. The only thing they must have in common currently was the shame towards having watched their partner get injured and suffering the shame of possible incompetence. </p><p>With a sigh, he returned his sight to the live view of a military thriller, better than whatever live casting show or entertainment program and yet all the worse. His heart beat faster merely from the anticipation of either of his roommates running into their chosen match. In theory, their mission seemed to be the easier one: confront the enemy upon encounter and find the green ribbon tied to either of them. There was fighting involved, yes, but it was easier to break it off by stealing the ribbon than having to try and make an escape. </p><p>Without noticing, his focus slowly blurred from what he could see on screen to what Jaemin saw all on his own, the not perfectly HD of the TVs turning into such as he perceived it all based on eyesight. The younger hadn’t chosen a speed much higher than his, preferring a method of stealth of drawing attention but Renjun would easily bet his highest priced painting that Jeno, albeit being careful, could move around way swifter than either of them. </p><p>But Jaemin focused on the front, on what was in front of him only, and Renjun had already learnt a trick or two from them. Lucas had all too easily jumped over the containers and what he had seen from the video footage later on, the other two, one of whom he had recognized as Johnny’s boyfriend, had also taken a liking to climbing the container to gain more momentum on their agility. And even when it was out of focus, Renjun could see the movements from the peripheral, and the sheer blindness with which Jaemin stumbled through it made him nearly upset. </p><p>What he had gathered from Jaemin’s training, he wasn’t that trained in combat, rather relying on his armoring ability and what other little tricks he had up his sleeve but surely that couldn’t be it all. If they even used a team leader against them, they would be smarter than than to give the Special the easy way out.</p><p>It was agitating, more nerve wracking than the other method of observation had been, and he could feel his focus equal parts slip and heighten. He couldn’t do anything about the situation going on but neither could he just sit by without feeling any of the anxious excitement. It was like a quiz show, the urge to participate and yell out all the answers he knew, and not being able to do any of that because he was still only a viewer and not a participant. </p><p>Peak of his excitement, indeed, was when had happened what he had previously anticipated. Taeyong did not approach Jaemin from the front but rather jumped down from one of the containers, likely causing a noise that had the younger turning on his heels and facing his opponent. It was bothersome, being aware they were talking but not being allowed to pick any of it up. Maybe he should make labiomancy his next project, after all of this. </p><p>From the way Johnny soothingly rubbed against the inside of his wrist, Renjun could deduct that his mentor had caught on to his hijacking, offering something to anchor himself too, as he otherwise was only able to focus on Jaemin’s actions. And it was weird, observing someone fighting from the first person perspective, like a really high tier video game performance, or sitting in some weird anime mecha fighting on auto-pilot. He could see each and every movement as if it were his own, could observe every incoming punch as if they were aimed at him, and it had him flinching every once in a while. </p><p>Taeyong, albeit many of his punches were easily repelled by the gravitational armor, seemed to have a plan, some bigger intention, based on his different spots of aim and unrelenting enthusiasm. It had Renjun frowning without even being aware of it, and it had him all the more on his toes when, seemingly out of nothing, Jaemin stumbled forward and collided with one of the containers framing the pathway. Armor or not, he was certain taking on a team leader and a Superioris would be tiring regardless, and he still had a feeling that the older attacker followed a specific plan. Only he couldn’t pinpoint it immediately, couldn’t trace it down no matter how fast his thoughts rushed through his brain, because something was still missing. So all he could do was, unfortunately, watch Jaemin get beat up like this. </p><p>Indeed, Jaemin’s reactions got a bit slower, and with how much these two were closing in on him, Renjun could only imagine the kind of challenge it would pose to try coming up with another trick to counter them. Not unlike his own ability, the hijacking paired with movements, took time, and it was strenuous, and the youngest had not seemed to be out for combat like Jeno, or Johnny. And for Jeno to be in the same kind of situation… The two of them were both fending off two people, and it was messing with Renjun’s brain, slowly but surely. Two were too much, two fighters like them would be surely a challenge even for Johnny or Mark or- </p><p>Like a sudden enlightenment it hit him. Two was the key, and in between all his trying to find the pattern in Taeyong’s and Jaehyun’s attacks, he had only counted the punches, not taken into consideration they were well versed enough to use their dominant and supporting limbs equally. “Fuck,” he cursed, as he blinked out of his vision, and without thinking much of it, he rushed forward. Johnny, behind him, was calling his name in shock, but Renjun didn’t actually care much as he jumped over the row of tables blocking his way and pushed the woman in her swivel chair aside to gain access to the microphone that would allow him to talk to either of them. “Jaemin, after Taeyong’s second punch with the left-”</p><p>He didn’t get to finish his sentence for a hand was already clasped around his mouth and he was pulled back again. Johnny’s, if the size was anything to go by. He could also hear an amused snort that likely belonged to Ten but he couldn’t care much right now. The cameras didn’t allow him to see much, instead he closed his eyes again and went back to tracing Jaemin’s movements on his own. It seemed to take a while, to accomodate to the rhythm of it, but after another three interceptions by Jaehyun, Jaemin got the hang of it. There was Taeyong’s second left punch incoming and connecting and then, before the Superioris could come in to use the Special’s distraction to his advantage for the armor would be lowered, he was pushed back, sent flying several meters only to crash into one of the containers behind. Taeyong, too surprised to react in time, was faced with a similar attack, and as Jaemin’s eyes traveled over their frames, it was obvious neither of them would hold the green ribbon to obtain. Still, there was a chance of supporting Jeno now, and Renjun felt glee and pride alike bubble up in his guts even when it was not his victory to earn.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>It was the last thing Renjun had expected, for someone to come knocking on his door during his recess, especially when he had done most of avoiding those he wanted to avoid. Which only meant he had tried to steer away from Jeno and Jaemin and, if being caught kissing hadn’t been enough, the way he had butchered Jeno’s and his mission and interfered with the two’s, too, had only added to his not wanting to talk about. Not necessarily the wisest choice but, still… he just needed time to sort out his thoughts. </p><p>Now that they were stuck in this hotel for a good week altogether, he couldn’t even do as many stress relieving things as he could do back at the base. Goodbye to lunch breaks in Doyoung’s office while drawing or seeking out Johnny at the shooting range to better his skills. Funnily enough, the latter had even been good for him, just a bit before taking off to here, his mentor had finally introduced him to sniper rifles and that, actually, was fun. The way it allowed him to channel his thoughts and just focus on something, focus and focus until he had it and landed his hit. Only the fact that Johnny had proposed an upgrade to it was kind of intimidating him, and slowly it felt like others had more fun with his hijacking than he did have. But after seeing how Renjun had basically shot at himself in Jaemin’s body, and after picking up on Jaemin’s and his new training, Johnny had suggested something similar, some kind of tracking down the hijacked person as a target to shoot at. Naturally, they hadn’t tried yet, with the lack of time, but it was scary enough. After all, he was told to shoot at someone he knew. Again.</p><p>Currently that wasn’t the most important thing, though, and with a sigh he got up from bed, wrapping his bathing robe tighter around himself, and approached the door. He nearly anticipated Johnny to stand there, to start some fatherly talk they hadn’t yet had during breakfast, or Doyoung, who had made it his task to silently overview the three’s shared relationship dynamic. Definitely not Jaemin, though, who stood there with a blindingly bright smile and a tray of hot drinks and made Renjun blatantly aware of how he was only dressed in a bathrobe at the moment. Not a problem with people he perceived as elder brothers but with Jaemin… He swallowed heavily, but the younger only invited himself inside with a, “May I?”</p><p>“What… are you doing here?” Renjun asked a bit hesitant, something that didn’t really suit him but then again, he had avoided Jaemin and Jeno to the best of his abilities in the recent weeks. Carefully he glimpsed at his suitcase, already considering to just snatch some underwear at least to put on, but his roommate’s piercing gaze called for his attention again.</p><p>“I wanted to thank you.” It was said with so much honesty, the artist couldn’t help feeling his heart clench painfully when hearing it. “The hyungs really tired me out in the mock and if it hadn’t been for you… You risked a lot for me. For us. And I’m thankful for that. But I also think we need to talk. About this, us. Whatever it is. And Jeno doesn’t really have the balls to, albeit it pains him, so someone has to do the first step.”</p><p>It only dawned upon Renjun then that Jaemin actually had acted smart. He was so used to a carefree and soothing personality, it continued to catch him off guard whenever the younger showed his cunning and calculating side more. Right now it had been just that, calculating. No doubt, Jaemin was aware of his daily pattern by now, thanks to how he showed up to breakfast with Johnny, dressed in training gear from a morning run, and would disappear right after to go to the pools, less for leisure and more for tenancy, just swimming until it was lunch and after he would shower and just stay in his room, leading them to this exact movement. Considering they didn’t have a proper gym around, late afternoons meant he could only train his punches and kicks with Johnny carrying some protective gear, just so Renjun was about to pass out by the time of dinner and effectively did so back in his room. </p><p>Now, though, Jaemin had effectively cut into this routine at a time he was least guarded, and Renjun didn’t exactly know what to make of that. Luckily, the younger took the lead again, and gestured at the bed with a, “Sit down.” Renjun did, and a second later was handed a cup of tea, soothing aroma of Jasmine filling his nose and with a little shock he realized it was actually the brand he kept at their apartment, meaning it had been purposefully taken along. Cunning Jaemin indeed… </p><p>If he had to be honest, he wasn’t even surprised Jaemin had already talked to Jeno about… this, whatever. Not only because they were best friends for years now but because Renjun had asked Doyoung to put him into a room alone well knowing it would force the other two to stay in one together. And if it had already bothered him once or twice (or maybe ten times more) not to know what exactly these two were doing there, he didn’t want to admit to that either.</p><p>“He’s not upset,” Jaemin stated, simple as it was, and cut effectively through Renjun’s stream of thoughts. It were just three simple words, yet they had felt like a boulder of worries weighing him down each and every minute of the day. “He was… surprised. But he’s not upset because of it.” There was another weight to these words, more to Jeno’s thoughts than the younger wanted to express, and the artist wasn’t certain whether to honor the privacy granted to the missing fighter or to curse the attending one for leaving it out.</p><p>In lieu of either of these options, the Chinese just raised his cup to take a sip, the warmth immediately flowing through him and the scent soothing him enough to think it over logically. It was one thing to admit all his thoughts to Doyoung, some third party, someone who knew them all well but wasn’t part of it, and to Jaemin who was so obviously involved in this entanglement of feelings, thoughts and actions that was their weird relationship. Which sounded funny, considering they weren’t even anything officially. </p><p>For another moment he thought it over, twisted the possibilities in his mind, turned them over like he’d do with apples stuck together for too long, looking for the ones that might have rotted away. Then, when he had seemed to check each and yet none, he gave up and left the bigger decision for a later time. Instead he only asked, “Jaemin… What are we to you? Jeno and me. Where do you think we’re all headed?”</p><p>“Currently? Roommates. Friends. Possibly? Some of us will get into a relationship.” The younger took a break and stared into this horribly abnormality of coffee Renjun was certain he kept in his mug. So what if he wasn’t a fan of coffee personally, at least he knew the difference between normal one and Jaemin’s one. “Ideally? The three of us would share the same feelings and stay together. For a long time.”</p><p>It was a cryptic way of expressing himself when at the same time it wasn’t. Jeno had been honest with Renjun, had confessed his feelings to him. Jaemin, too, had been honest with him, albeit perhaps under the impression Renjun was asleep, and confessed to him. And now, too, Jaemin had brought up the topic of relationships. Not just friendship but more than that. In a hidden way, it became all too obvious what the youngest thought, and even though that meant only Jeno was the one whose ideas he had to uncover, it didn’t reassure him in the least. He could make it, or break it. </p><p>“Jaemin…” Renjun started again, a bit hesitant. There was a whirlwind sentiments in his head and a hurricane of emotions within his heart. “Tomorrow they’ll tell us our results and then we return and… The three of us, can we talk about it together? At home?” Nervously he licked his lower lip, wet from the steam of tea, but even like that he didn’t miss out on the other’s gaze falling down to it. Oh, if only it wasn’t so complicated, he might have even allowed Jaemin to go for it…</p><p>The smile the younger showed seemed nearly forced, but Renjun didn’t have it in him to put forth some words of reassurance. Not when he, neither, was certain of what such conversation would entail. Jaemin only ousted a simple “Sure!” and then, easily sensing the awkwardness that seemed to settle between them, offered to leave. He did, and alone in his room again, Renjun inhaled the aroma of jasmine to calm his thoughts. That were some tiring decisions coming upon them...</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“Monster!” Renjun whined, and he never whined, as he dropped onto his chair at their shared breakfast table and slumped over the woods. His legs were jittery and his pants felt a bit clammy from where they were soaked with sweat but at least he had been wise enough to take a sweater along to cover up his rumpled form.</p><p>“Me or him?” Johnny joked, smile bright on his lips and coffee in his hands as he settled next to his charge. Doyoung gave them a confused look at the mysterious mention but Renjun got it anyways. Before, he hadn’t paid much mind to it, to the fact that Jeno might actually be limiting himself to fit with his standards of fitness, not until maybe half an hour earlier. </p><p>Johnny, with his unnecessarily tall body and his even more unnecessarily long legs, already was a horrible choice of running partner. One of his steps equalled one and a half of the teen and that meant Renjun had to do a lot more to keep up. But Jeno… The fighter had so easily passed them by, in a speed that the Special would consider a sprint of himself but with an ease of a marathon competitor. Not even the modern one, much rather the original, the envoy who had run forty plus kilometers in so little time just to inform Athens of victory. Jeno might be included in that same crazy energy. The only thing Renjun did not know was whether it had been a short sprint to show off or some angry and aggressive speed to work off his own pent up emotions, and regardless, to keep that speed without getting out of breath was still impressive.</p><p>“Both of you,” Renjun grumbled into his arms, and his own grumble was supported by his stomach demanding for food. He felt pity for himself, not yet having the energy to get up and retrieve some, and surprise when it was just put down in front of him by someone else. A plate of fruits and a bowl of rice porridge. The words of thanks directed at either of his two roommates were already on his lips but as he looked up, there was neither of both, instead Jungwoo smiled down at him softly and settled on the opposite.</p><p>“You looked like you need it,” the older advised and, contrary to the seductive whispers uttered that night, now he heard the kind of voice he had expected the least. The blond spoke quietly, in the same volume as those really shy and timid kids would, but with so much confidence it might as well give him whiplash. “I’ve heard a lot about you already. It’s really a pity I didn’t get to introduce myself before and if only so we could’ve met under different circumstances.”</p><p>Because had he known Jungwoo better or at all, he might not have been used as Renjun’s adversary in the mock, and that much he could understand. Added to that, there was a definite difference between what one did on the job and what one did in training. Jaehyun might beat Jeno on the daily, and Johnny tortured Renjun in a similar manner, yet it didn’t mean neither of the agents wouldn’t readily jump in front of their proteges to take a bullet in their stead.</p><p>“You just did as you were told,” Renjun tried with an evasive smile, and quickly added a, “Thanks for the food.” He could feel eyes drilling curious holes in the back of his head from the table for two but he ignored them in favor of taking some bites first. Doyoung and Jungwoo had fallen into a little chatter and it was then that it hit the artist to ask, “You’ve not heard any weird stuff from Doyoung, did you?”</p><p>Mentioned man protested softly with a, “That’s hyung for you!” It was hardly even audible.</p><p>Jungwoo, though, only laughed it off, quite a tender sound, and it really did not fit with the impression Renjun had had of him before. “No, not at all. He praised you a lot. But he also whined because you’re keeping Jeno from him. Taeil mentioned you too, said you’re quite the impressive and attentive member. I think Lucas is also in love with you ever since you threw him over the shoulder, he keeps talking of ‘wanting to meet Little Huang, Little Huang!’”</p><p>For just a second, at the mention of Jeno, Renjun’s fingers tensed around his spoon, but neither Johnny nor Doyoung seemed to notice, and if they did, they didn’t mention it. Way unlike Jungwoo who, for a second, held a dangerous glint in his eyes, staring at the traitorous digits. </p><p>“Little Huang?” The artist repeated, trying for the distraction that fortunately was picked up as Jungwoo’s eyes immediately snapped towards his face again. </p><p>“You’re sharing your surname. Huang Xuxi, Huang Renjun. Kunhang might also share it but I never got his Mandarin name.” There was a fluency to Jungwoo’s speech that was only interrupted when the blond looked towards the entryway and got up. A smile was blooming on his lips and it was nothing short of endearing as the older excused himself and left them behind to join Lucas for breakfast. Renjun only looked after the tall one.</p><p>“They’re a couple,” Doyoung pointed out, a statement. Matter of fact. A lot of people within their little structure were actually a couple, but when they lacked exchange with the outside world, it didn’t even come as a surprise. “Are you still on bad terms with Jeno?”</p><p>Renjun looked up from his spoon already raised to his lips and instead at the Intelligence instead. Considering how close these two, Doyoung and Jeno, were, it didn’t surprise the Chinese that the story had already been told. He only felt a bit uncomfortable to discuss anything about it in front of Johnny who he hadn’t spoken anything relating to it about with. “Jaemin says he isn’t upset with me…”</p><p>The older only let out a considerate hum, seemingly pondering some options in his mind. It reminded him a bit of Donghyuck who nearly seemed like a psychic, who had guessed the entirety of their situation in the recent weeks by observations alone but where Doyoung kept his revelations and ideas to himself, Donghyuck was quick to spit them out like hot tea that burnt his tongue. Not that Renjun wanted to get reprimanded by someone who thought bullying their crush was the right way to go about it anyways.</p><p>Johnny, though, picked up on the baton real quick, and before the silence between them all could become awkward or burdensome, asked, “Are you nervous for your evaluation later?”</p><p>Up until this moment, he hadn’t been, Renjun had honestly forgotten about it, but as his mentor brought it up, his face immediately morphed into a grimace, that amused the older to the point of laughter. Monster indeed.</p><p>“Don’t worry, it will go well,” Johnny reassured him, but whether it actually helped or just made him more nervous Renjun was not certain.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>What one might expect when hearing about mentor feedback for a super secret branch of some super secret agency regarding the careers of future agents and the result of missions was probably some room with a grim aura, with PC screens lighting up behind their backs and some super fancy powerpoint presentations. Their superiors would be dressed in sleek suits, clipboards in their hands and a stern expression on their face.</p><p>At least the clipboards were there. But instead of some fancy council room, they were settled in the hotel’s seminar room, tables pushed into a quad and around them the tech team was busy taking down their equipment. The top and bottom of the formation was made up by Yuta and Taeyong, and Jaemin, Jeno and Renjun, and instead of the former two looking neat and proper, the Korean might as well have come down in his pajamas, bright red bruises decorating his neck that were evidently fresh and only confirmed by the high five Jaehyun and Johnny had given each other upon encounter in the room. Not that Johnny looked any better but Renjun really - really!!! - didn’t want to indulge that thought. </p><p>When it came down to it, simply enough, it was the least serious business situation he had ever imagined, especially considering the state of their mentors and examiners alike. Ten and his unknown partner, Jungwoo and Lucas sat on Renjun’s side, whereas the two unknown agents from Jeno’s second exam, along with Jaehyun and Johnny were sat at Jaemin’s. Doyoung, albeit the artist would bet his next artwork’s profit was eavesdropping, was not sat down but rather overlooking the IT works.</p><p>The sound of clearing one’s neck cut through the silence and tension like a well edged knife, coming from Taeyong himself as Renjun noticed with a start. Hardly any of the adults seemed to care, Johnny and Jaehyun paying attention more out of awareness of their students, the only female agent could still be seen typing away on her phone. It was, honestly, giving him whiplash, the way some of their seniors could be so serious one time and then utterly bored the next. There didn’t seem to be any context within it at all.</p><p>“Alright then,” the seemingly frail man started, leaving through some papers in front of him and repeating stuff that should be considered obvious anyways, “Renjun broke off your mission which means you failed, Renjun, Jeno. Jaemin’s and Jeno’s would be considered a success but I was informed it was interrupted. I should actually consider that a failure too.” Silently he handed some papers to Johnny and Jaehyun, most likely for they were in charge of at least two of the three teenagers, and the newest could only frown at that.</p><p>“Renjun,” Johnny called him out first, albeit it seemed more like it was read of the papers. It actually was. “Seems to act with caution… thoughts prior acts… Surprising agility in fighting and- Sicheng, is that a smiley there?” The man opposite him only shrugged his shoulders, seemingly more interested in some phone game and Renjun didn’t want to consider what it meant that no one protested that in first place. “Ten proposed a short training program because their body types are the same. Proposal of strategy training... Quick reactions and accurate judgement… Possibly biased opinion of his partner. Decisions contaminated by personal feelings. And then…” The American’s finger travelled down some rows until remaining stuck at another paragraph. “Rebellious in nature. Might act against orders. Not to be involved in the core act of missions.”</p><p>Johnny sighed softly, and the gaze he looked at his protege with said it all. It was good, but it could be better. When honestly, Renjun was just surprised he had not been sacked or sanctioned in any way.<br/>
The time it had taken Johnny to skim through his paper aloud, Jaehyun had seemingly used to read through his own sheet, so there was little surprise his summary was shorter. Or maybe it just had to do with Jeno being better. “Good fighter and great support of his partners. Engages two or more people in conflict with ease. Further focus on physical training, adding the requirement of more armed training. Stamina, strength and output on par with prior test results. Overall, he did well, I would say?” The words were about Jeno but evidently they were directed at Taeyong who only nodded in confirmation. </p><p>It was too distinct, the difference in roles some of them could take on. Evidently, the team leader was an attentive partner, yet in his role as the former he was cold and more focused. It wasn’t such an evident difference with Johnny, someone with coziness basically exuding his whole being and a level of joy and comfort that would inevitably remind everyone of home. If only Renjun hadn’t been once catapulted into their bedroom at an untoward time, it might be a bit easier to believe too. </p><p>Up until this day, actually, the artist wasn’t certain who was in charge of Jaemin, of his training and well being, or maybe no one was. The paper wasn’t handed to anyone in special but rather, Taeyong handed it over to Yuta who promptly followed Johnny’s example of tracking the most important information down aloud. “Managed to control his powers in a more stable way. Needs more combat training. Needs more weapon training. Good physique and stamina. Great endurance. Good at figuring out the right moment to strike, which was… ruled out later on. Questionable relationship with Renjun considering the mentioned interrupted his fight.” The single sheet was put down again and the older rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment. “Do you have anything to say about this? Renjun? You two?”</p><p>Considering the situation, the artist knew it was his responsibility, but how exactly was he supposed to explain that the idea of either of them getting hurt was an insufferable one for him? It was cheesy, utterly personal, and most of all misplaced at the current time. Right at this moment, he felt thankful more than ever before towards Jungwoo for cutting in, “He literally watched Johnny get shot. You can’t expect him to just bear with it when his friends get attacked.”</p><p>“Then he needs to work on his self control and the faith he puts into his partners,” Yuta shot back and, now, that kind of hurt. Beneath the table, Renjun’s fingers clenched around the seam of his sweater for a moment. If Jeno and Jaemin reacted to it, he put a blind eye towards it.</p><p>“Now, now,” Taeyong tried to mitigate the situation, voice a bit softer than before. “Despite the fact that you not only called off your own mission but also interrupted the others’, I went to Johnny to ask for his opinion, and I also called Taeil yesterday to get his opinion on the matter. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of the decision for it goes against our policy but I want to give you another chance. According to your adjusted training plans, you’ll be working out threesome strategies and team figures and we’ll put up a second examination for the three of you as one. If it seems to work better than what you showed us this time around, I’ll make it official. If you fail, Jaemin and Jeno will make up a team and Renjun will be put as spare until we find an appropriate partner for him. Clear?”</p><p>A series of “Clear!” was heard around the table, and with that, simple as it seemed, the meeting seemed to be over. Taeyong put together his papers and made for the door with Yuta in tow, discussing matters in a whisper, whereas the remaining agents seemed to be either surprised by the announcement or did just not care. Johnny looked like he wanted to talk about it, but the short guy Renjun had already recognized as Ten, the boyfriend, gave the artist a wink instead and pulled the taller away. Jaehyun signaled for Jeno to come over and without looking, he was aware both his roommates were hesitant about leaving him alone. It took just one second of hijacking Jaemin’s sight, something he had refused to since days with the exception of the mission, to become aware of the Superioris wanting to say something. Instead, the youngest put his hand on his shoulder and seemed to shake his head. </p><p>When Renjun was back to his own headspace, the two were already about to leave their seats. Still, when he looked up, he could see the blond give him an expectating look, one he could understand for they did have an agreement, no matter the new circumstances adding a new flavor to their whole dynamic. It must be the most obvious to Jungwoo, who Renjun later learned was specialized in reading people, in analysing their speech and manners and patterns, and although it would be then used against them, it was still an admirable talent altogether, and Doyoung, who was quick to skip over and ruffle his hair reassuringly. “It will all turn out well, Renjun. Just go on as you planned and it will all go well.”</p><p>It wasn’t a promise for it couldn’t be, but at least for the moment it did indeed soothe his heart.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Once again, <a href="https://twitter.com/starrymeis">twitter</a> and <a href="https://curiouscat.me/starrymeis">curiouscat</a></p><p>I actually wanted to end this story with the mock missions but as I inserted a certain plot point - y'all prolly know which one - I just couldn't help going on for a bit more anyways, thus marking the point I outdid all my previous word counts. Shoulder pat to me!</p><p>Also I want to take this chance of crossing the halfway mark to say: Receiving so many sweet words on this story makes me really happy! Thank you all for your feedback and kind words once again and I always love to see people return in the comments ❤️ Thank you so much!!</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today, I present to you: domesticity, first dates, dates, cuddles, Jaemin being embarrassing, and me nearly forgetting about this chapter existing because I had so much fun writing it and did it with such ease it seems surreal...</p><p>We're sloooowly approaching the end of this which means a lot to me because I feel incredibly happy people enjoy this story but the last two chapters will also be posted during my vacation and I'll get to see Gems who helped me out a lot with this story, too ♡ (I don't think this story would have come to exist the same way without her to be honest haha)</p><p>Once again, despite no violence being used, guns are mentioned and also, new side characters! yay!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Renjun took a deep breath from where he was standing in front of the door to their apartment, nervousness clawing its talons into his guts. He knew the other two had arrived before him, if not thanks to Doyoung driving a bit slower than normal intentionally, then because of the delicious scent wafting to the outside, courtesy of Jaemin working his magic inside. The soothing words offered to him by the intelligence member during their drive back home had done little to calm his nerves, and even Jungwoo’s reassuring clap to the shoulder in the elevator on his way up hadn’t exactly given him the comfort he craved for. But as lacking as his parents’ raising him had been, at least they had not brought up a coward.</p><p>Schooling his face into a blank one, he squared his shoulders and opened the door, careless of where it would end up pushing his suitcase inside, and equally as much thought was put into the final destination of his shoes. There, several feet down in front of him, was indeed Jaemin cooking something up and Jeno sitting at the bar counter, a steaming cup of tea next to him that was meant for the missing one. Because Jeno didn’t drink tea. Philistine.</p><p>“Injunnie!” Jaemin called out, delight in his voice and on his face, albeit it seemed to be a bit forced. Evidently, there was tension in the air, hanging between the three of them, and the Chinese knew whose fault it was. He should have talked it out when it came up, should have sought out Jeno and taken responsibility as the oldest of their bunch but alas, he wasn’t. Because one way or another, this was still a bit too much for him. “I made your favorite!”</p><p>All faux confidence evaded the artist at these words, the affectionate manner he could so easily sort into a category since that confession at night seemed terribly misplaced after what he had done. Then again, Doyoung had already scolded his tendency to overthink it all, and to put the blame on himself when there was no one else to bear it for him. So all he could do was silently make his way over to the isle and settle in front of the mug, nervous fingers immediately wrapping around it just so the emanating heat could aid him calming down. </p><p>“How was the drive?” The youngest asked, a good natured attempt at small talk even when it seemed futile with the tension that surrounded them. Because Renjun had been aware of these two’s yearning gazes when he had been dragged into the van by Doyoung before they had a chance to. “Because Jeno was pouting all throughout it! I’m not sure he was jealous of Doyoung or you, though.”</p><p>It was at the mention of the fighter only the Chinese dared to look at the other for the first time since arriving. Dressed more leisurely, in only a shirt and sweats, without any jumper to hide his bare skin, the bruises from the examination became more obvious. There were red marks along his lower arms, proof of the intensity of the blows he had taken even with fastened healing skill. There was also colorful tape wrapped around his upper arm that Renjun didn’t want to think too much about. Aside from that, fatigue seemed only to be evident in the soft little shades beneath usually bright eyes.</p><p>Actually, despite having suffered more damage, Jeno still looked better than Jaemin. Their youngest’s rib cage, where it was visible from the low arm holes, was covered in bruises from where Jaehyun had repeatedly landed his hits, and a small bruise at the corner of his mouth. Just looking at it had the pain echo around Renjun’s own body, quick to look down into his tea than indulge the idea of what more could have been for a single second. “‘t was good… He has a good taste in music…”</p><p>The Special took the information in with a little smile on his lips, and silence ensued once more for the time being, at least for as long as Jaemin took to finish the hot pot base. Instead of herding them to the table immediately to enjoy it altogether, a lid was put to the table and the cook spoke up again, “Let’s move to the couch. I don’t think this will taste anywhere as close to as good as it will once we got this over with.”</p><p>Fighter through and through, it was only befitting Jeno was the first to get up. Soldier might be the wrong term for they were supposed to heedlessly obey, yet it was undoubtedly evident Jeno had a tendency to do as he was told. Renjun totally got behind Jaemin comparing him with a puppy, then again, the Superioris also had the guts to do what they would probably hesitate with. In that sense, they made a good time. Complemented each other. Jaemin made the decisions Jeno would enforce. Looking at it like this, it seemed difficult to fit in and yet it wasn’t. The team leaders had jotted it down themselves, don’t involve him in the core of missions. Maybe he shouldn’t be part of this core too.</p><p>“Coming?” Jaemin pulled him out of his reveries, stopped just short of the couch. It was the good startle, the kind that reminded him to better leave behind his thoughts so he did. With as good of a smile as was possible, Renjun grabbed his mug and moved to the couch seat adjacent to the big one to get a better point of view of these two. Despite… whatever was going on, they clearly stuck it out better than him, obvious in all the little things, in the not minding to share a room or having talked some things out or their knees touching at this very moment and the fact Jaemin slapped his hand down onto Jeno’s all the more. “Now, where should we start?”</p><p>A tiny voice in Renjun’s mind told him to do it, considering he was the oldest one and should be more responsible and in charge, rather than just going along with whatever these two were deciding and enforcing. Another voice that sounded suspiciously like Doyoung’s reminded him love didn’t always only involve two, something Jaemin had kind of already agreed to. With these dominating his mind, before he could think otherwise of it, he closed his eyes and parted his lips to let the words tumble off his tongue as quick as possible. “I like you. The both of you. Like, actually like you. Like that.” He had half a mind to look at them but embarrassment caught up to him when he merely just glimpsed at their shirts so he quickly retreated to his tea and taking a sip.</p><p>Maybe he should have taken a long, though, because not receiving any sort of response for ticking seconds now was killing him inside. Hesitantly, Renjun allowed his eyes to travel forth again, up their legs and Jaemin’s hand clenched tight around Jeno’s knee, the bits of bruised skin he could see, broad shoulders and finally… Jaemin, much to his surprise, seemed to be the more stunned one, looking as if he hadn’t expected to find his feelings responded like that, or maybe it was just the forward way of saying it that put him off. </p><p>Jeno, on the other hand, seemed to take the information easier, relief evident on his previously so tense face. Actually, obvious by the way he stretched his fingers out too, the ones priorly clenched to tight fists. Like a puppy presented with a little treat in front of him, his eyes carried a certain glint of intrigue, and he asked, “So am I finally allowed to touch you again?” </p><p>Right… Jeno was one to rather do than say, even though now it only had the artist blushing. Renjun was quick to blame it on the tea’s steam and nearly as quick to nod to, but held himself off just in time. “You don’t… mind?”</p><p>“You like me,” Jeno repeated, voice a mixture of awe and satisfaction at once, “And that you reciprocate my feelings means the most to me. If you hold the same feelings for Jaemin, then the two of you have to sort that out.”</p><p>There was a flicker of something Renjun couldn’t name in the youngest’s eyes for a split second before it quickly changed to brightness. “I guess we have to share then,” the Special pointed out, bumping shoulders with hís best friend. “I’ll serve the food so you better be quick.”</p><p>The words seemed to do some magic, and even if there was something Renjun might have wanted to squeeze in (he didn’t really), the chance was taken from him by Jeno approaching him. One hand on the backrest behind the smaller, the fighter easily leaned down until their breaths mingled, and any and all thought was driven out of his mind when Renjun could feel an incredibly soft pair of lips against his again, just like months prior. He hadn’t even been aware of how much he had missed this.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>The international unit seemed to mean to stick around for a while, albeit the only way he could make this assumption was the way that, after Ten making quick work of his proposal of joint training, not Jeno was there, waiting to get his hands on Renjun in an entirely professional way, but rather Lucas. The Special couldn’t help the grunt nor dramatically falling down onto his knees when he connected the dots. “Oh, fuck…”</p><p>“Little Huang!” Scratch that, Lucas was definitely more delighted at the prospect of being able to beat him up than should be fair. There easily was an air of an excited puppy around the tall one, too, and for a second the artist considered whether or not it was a side-effect of the Superioris trait.</p><p>Before, he had vaguely heard about a third member to their kind but it had only been during the car drive with Doyoung that he had gathered more information. Not only about Lucas, in fact, but also the other members of the team. Generally speaking, it was an extension of their own team, but made up of a mixture of foreign agents in some sort of top secret and never-to-be-unveiled partnership with theirs, or just foreigners they had picked up one way or another. </p><p>Among them, Lucas was one of the Superioris evolution, but unlike Jaehyun and Jeno, he had denied the option of getting the brain implant, the regularly updated cheat code to any and all patterns of martial arts around the world. How exactly it worked, Renjun had still not understood, but there had been a lot of loopholes in the story anyways, and as much as he loved the hidden and ominous, he long not had the scientific comprehension to get it all. Either way, what apparently had started as “juvenile cockiness and a wish to prove them all” had turned the Hong Kong borne into a pretty versatile fighter either way, and while there was no denying Jaehyun and Jeno were jacked on an intimidating level, and that’s when one part of Doyoung’s informations had become the most intimidating, these two fought with skill, whereas Lucas put his strength to use on a way different level.</p><p>To an extent, Renjun had already experienced it, the limited reactions of Lucas’ compared to Jeno’s seemingly infinite patterns, but he highly believed the worst of the pain he could have suffered had been downed by adrenaline. Or the three of them were just generally used to holding back a lot of their power lest they’d break bones they were not supposed to. </p><p>“I guess the bunny did inform you,” Ten spoke up, sounding way too cheerful for this kind of situation. “Johnny praised you a lot whenever we talked, said you’re quite a tenacious one, Renjun. But if you always train with the same person, you will never get the hang of countering people who are either taller than you or trained in one specific style. You need to be aware of your own and their weaknesses to know how to knock them out.”</p><p>Ten, in all his kittenish intimidation, generally was a nice guy, Renjun was certain. How could someone who wasn’t nice end up with Johnny either way? But at the same time, the teenager was quite certain the Thai had one horribly sadistic streak to himself, even if not put into action on his own, nobody could possibly exert so much schadenfreude without it. </p><p>“Training with Jeno is a good start. That kid didn’t refine his strength as well as Jaehyunnie so you probably endured a lot more than you should be able to. Now we only need to fine tune your skills, too.” The older seemed to be entirely oblivious to Renjun’s pleading gaze, or maybe just ignored it willingly. Nevertheless, it gave the artist the itches as he merely just listened, and not knowing when exactly Ten’s being in charge of him would end also did something to his nerves.</p><p>At least Lucas seemed like a good comrade in dire times, already helpfully holding out his hand for Renjun to get up. Like this, standing in proper illumination and not just the dim light of the warehouse, the latter became all the more obvious of their difference in frames. Since he had started his training here, in the few months it had lasted now, he undoubtedly had picked up on strength, it was only his figure that had changed little to nothing. On the other hand, Lucas, befitting of his genetical makeup, was loaded. Tall, broad, and heavy. Looking at him like that, it became all the more obvious why exactly Ten was in charge of him as well, considering their similar body types. </p><p>Before, when he had caught glimpses of the older, he either hadn’t noticed properly or pushed it to the back of his thought. But as Lucas had to look down at him, it vaguely reminded him of the angle Johnny had always used to look at Ten, at this still smaller than him man. Now, if Ten wanted to teach him how to use his body against people of such different body types indeed, this would be some excruciating training hours indeed...</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>True to his thoughts, Renjun had been worked worse than an ox on the fields. It actually felt like his first days of training all over again, when his legs had felt like pudding and his arms to heavy to do as much as lift a spoon during dinner. In short, it was excruciating and he would do anything to go back to train with Jaehyun, Johnny and Jeno instead of Ten and Lucas. And Lucas was actually the nice one! Forget about getting thrown onto the mat more than fifty times or having his arms bent at angles they definitely shouldn’t, Ten’s shouts of “Again!” would definitely hunt him down in his nightmares. </p><p>Mindlessly he slipped out of his shoes at the entrance hall, nearly stumbling over the a non-existent fold in their rug as he made his way down the short hallway, and he was close to releasing a sob of relief when Jeno chose just the right moment to step out of the bathroom. It changed to choking on his spit real quick, when his happiness over encountering someone who would without question and thought soothe him down was easily overthrown by the mere realization Jeno was fresh out of the shower, skin somewhat ruddy from the heat of the water. And there was lots of skin. Bare arms, bare chest, bare stomach. Some droplets of water dripping from wet hair. </p><p>Now seemed a highly appropriate moment to stumble, and Renjun wanted to be allowed to turn into a toddler just so he could actually let out a whine rather than flush red when Jeno caught him easily. Because now bare skin was beneath his hands and that was definitely more than he could take. Nonetheless, within the embrace of his kind-of-boyfriend, he couldn’t help going lax, tension evading his body. He simply sunk against the way stronger body in search of short bliss.</p><p>It actually was funny, in a way. They only had had The Talk the night before, but a lot of things had changed with the snap of a finger, taken new shapes or just reverted to what had once been. Renjun had crept into Jaemin’s bed again at night, and Jeno had greeted him good morning with a kiss to the forehead. They had gone on a morning run again together, after Jeno had asked about his preference, and on the way up in the elevator they had shared some short pecks. After weeks of having to hold back on his affections, it seemed Jeno was all the more set on releasing them in his own little ways in between. Which was still nothing to Jaemin who had easily decorated his neck in hickeys after their shared lunch, previously standing out and now they, despite their odd placement, easily mingled with the bruises he had received from Lucas.</p><p>“So bad?” Jeno asked, fingers tender on Renjun’s skin who could only release a pathetic hum, and then they already wrapped around his thighs, just beneath his hips, to lift him up in quite the monkey way. The smaller didn’t even have it in himself to question it, simply permitted himself to be carried the few steps into the bathroom where he was settled on the counter. A quick peck to his forehead was followed by the rushing sound of water from where Jeno was currently preparing to have the bathtub filled, and in the time it took for the water to get high enough, he looked through the few add-ins they had to find the appropriate one. </p><p>The aroma of lavender slowly filled the room, and Renjun finally had enough brain capacity to begin wrestling with his jumper to get out of it. In theory, Jeno had already seen him close to naked, thanks to his shamelessness during those weeks he spent in the dark room. In reality, Renjun was just too exhausted to care at the moment as he dropped the heavy fabric onto the ground and fought his way out of his shirt next. His socks, with some annoyed grunts because of how tense his legs felt as he raised them enough, followed, and it was only then he noticed Jeno’s eyes on him.</p><p>The emotions they held were a mixture of covert desire, some burning need hidden in their soothing darkness, and the exposed affection, the silent need to care he had already expressed so sweetly. “Do you need help to get in?” The fighter asked, an easy out, the chance to allow Renjun to say no, and for a moment embarrassment got the better of him. But then he considered the weak state of his legs and the many accidents that could happen within the travel of a few feet over to the tub - like, he could slip off the counter too clumsily and bang his head against the edge of the tub, or he could lose balance in the slippery water and bang his head against the valve, or fall back in the same scenario and crack his head open on the tiles - and the thought of self-preservation easily ruled out his need to be shy. So he simply nodded his head and allowed Jeno to step closer.</p><p>One of his muscled arms easily wrapped around Renjun’s slighter frame and steadied him as he slipped down from the counter, and the older didn’t have it in him to protest the fingers that slipped past his waistband to push down at his remaining pants and underwear. Rather, he only stepped out of him when able to and allowed Jeno to guide him over to the tub, hold onto his waist and arms as he stepped in and lowered himself until his skin was blurred from the lilac liquid and soapy surface.</p><p>With a little delay, he realized that despite the evident chance to, the younger had made quite the effort to always stay in an angle that didn’t let him see everything, or kept his eyes strict to Renjun’s face only. It maybe should have made him feel unattractive, but seeing the raw emotions in Jeno’s face, it turned out to be the entire opposite. The want to aid those one loved and put their well being above sexual desires and needs might be the most intent form of Platonic love. As in, the real deal, the original form that kind of sed to find love outside the physical realms or however it went, not the modern version of friendship. Had it worked like that? His brain actually felt too slow to properly process it.</p><p>“I’ll get you some new clothes quickly, and when you need anything, call for me, okay?” Jeno offered, and it felt strenuous enough to nod his head at that. Renjun still accomplished that much, and with a little yearning in his eyes watched his boyfriend - were they officially such yet? - leave. </p><p>When he returned, fully clothed and some more in his hands, Renjun finally gave in to his needy whims and stretched his arm out for the younger. “Stay,” he demanded quietly, looking up at that unfairly<br/>
handsome face, “Tell me about your day or something.” </p><p>The little smile he received in return seemed like a blessing, and warmth engulfed him not only from the outside. Ever the polite kid, Jeno turned his back to the tub as he leaned against it, comfortably settled on the floor, and began to pick on some little incidents during the day. He didn’t protest the way Renjun played with his hair, spreading some soapy water through the still wet strands, much rather seemed to take a liking to it if the way his head tilted back was any indication. It was a perfect moment, as perfect as it could be, and if their evening already began like this, Renjun could only imagine how much better it would be with Jaemin to join them in.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“I can’t believe it,” Donghyuck pointed out as Renjun settled in front of him, stabbing his salad leaves with more aggression than was needed. His eyes burnt hot traces into the older’s neck and it was without need to question for what reason exactly, Jaemin had enjoyed stealing minutes of his bedmate’s sleep a tad too much. “You’ve been here not even a year, a fraction of my time, but you managed to get yourself a boyfriend while I’m still single? Clearly you did something illegal.” His eyes narrowed in suspicion.</p><p>“Maybe you’re just insufferable?” Renjun glared at his opposite. He didn’t even bother to query why Donghyuck knew so much when so far he wasn’t aware any of them had told him, all the least give him the satisfaction about asking how he knew. There was only so much smugness he could feed into during a day, and Jaemin had used up a lot of that with his fishing for compliments in the morning. “Not my fault you can’t grow the balls to confess to Ma-”</p><p>Underneath the table, a foot collided with his shin, coincidentally right against the very same spot he had cracked against the floor the previous day after Lucas’ force had sent him flying a bit too far down the mat. It made him hiss and yelp in pain at once, jerking back in his seat so he could wrap his hand around the sore place protectively. This time around it was him glaring at Donghyuck but the younger seemed oblivious of that for the moment, more distracted by the sight of a green haired Mark behind them. </p><p>“Uhm… You won’t mind me sitting with you, right?” The Canadian asked carefully, tray in his hand seemingly loaded halfway with melons the kitchen staff had pulled from wherever. Maybe Ten had brought it in from Thailand? Did they raise watermelons in Thailand?</p><p>“Who’d even want to sit with you, Lee?” Donghyuck snarled, but to his future partner-in-crime (or law, actually) seemed to easily take it as the affirmation it actually was. No hesitation in settling down, contrary to the shy question, the oldest easily stabbed some fried rice cakes with a fork and the smart one returned to glaring at Renjun over the table. “Aren’t you going to tell me now? What kind of charm did you put these two under?”</p><p>“None,” Renjun answered, simple as it was. His fingers were nimble as he stirred the noodles on his own plate, to mix them properly with the sauce, and for a second he was itching to pull out the bellpepper he didn’t like to give to Jeno, only the latter wasn’t here. “Nothing more happened than you are aware of.” At least he was pretty certain there wasn’t anything that hadn’t reached the gossip base by now or been connected by simple deduction. “And nothing is official anyways…”</p><p>Donghyuck nearly spit out his drink at that. “They didn’t ask you out yet?” Mark handed him a tissue to wipe his mouth but the youngest threw it aside carelessly, quite like the banana peel during a race of Mario Kart. For someone so smart Donghyuck sure didn’t know how to appreciate the protection of a banana peel. “Even if we’re limited in possibilities, they should’ve asked you out on a date already!”</p><p>“We spend all our time together anyways,” Renjun pointed out, a little frown on his face. They had breakfast together, there were morning runs, whenever possible they shared lunch, Jaemin and him would start training together again soon, there was dinner and after-dinner and sleeping in the same bed. There was no way it could become any more domestic than that and, at the same time, he was impressed with how little it had grated his nerves throughout the recent months.</p><p>In any relationship things like clothes strewn around or the toothpaste being put the wrong way around into the cup would turn into problems. Actually, even when they just lived together. Just take into consideration just often his own mother had reprimanded him for having left his paints lying around as he had been a kid. But the space he shared with Jaemin was always clean, because Renjun didn’t like to leave his art material around - someone thanks his mother! - and the younger would usually pick up whatever was lying around on clothes when it was time for washing time. How Jeno’s room looked would be a different matter, though. In fact, even if they left anything around, Jaemin would clean it up without complaint, and Renjun realized once again how thankful he was. He really should show his gratitude sometime…</p><p>“That’s not a date!” The tan protested with a tad too much vigor. “Mark and me going out for ice cream isn’t a date either. It’s only a date if you clarify it’s a date!”</p><p>“Oh, I always thought-”</p><p>“Shut up, Mark!” Donghyuck interrupted, quite rudely, actually, and pointed his cutlery at Renjun. “You better have your idiots square up and ask you out or you just ditch them altogether.”</p><p>A heavy silence ensued, interrupted only by Yuta’s snort some tables down from where they had drawn too much attention apparently. Renjun only blinked at the boy at the other side of the table, not really understanding why he was the one to suffer just because Donghyuck had a problem with Mark but he also knew better than point it out in front of, well, Mark.</p><p>Speaking of him, it seemed the Canadian was a bit slow on the uptake as normal on the whole gossip thing, smiling in a charming way as he clumsily asked, “Who’s dating who? Renjun and Jaemin?”</p><p>“Yes, Mark, Jaemin and me,” Renjun repeated, feeling his own tension leave in an instant thanks to what he would easily dub the Mark-effect from now on, “Also Jeno and me. I’m together with both of them.”</p><p>“Ah,” the Canadian resounded in a drawled out way, then pointed his fork into the air, “And these two…?”</p><p>“No.” The Chinese shook his head. At least not as far as he was informed, and he sure hoped these would tell him if whatever they had would finally progress from the merely physical stage. Then again, it didn’t seem to make such a huge difference when it was the three of them together at once, the way neither of them cared who was in the middle during movie cuddle sessions or the weird formations they sometimes took when Jeno played his video games again. As long as it didn’t have any negative outcome, Renjun could remain in a blissful state of not-meddling-any-further.</p><p>“Ah,” Mark noised again, and returned to eating. The information was surprisingly easy taken in considering the sometimes so conservative stand the older seemed to take, but Renjun didn’t question it. Actually, he doubted a lot of things were doubted within an agency that consisted of people who could throw boulders and kids who could deny gravity or kill people by nanobots in their blood. Which was a factual truth. And because he hadn’t believed it at first, Doyoung had even allowed him to look into Sooyoung’s files. </p><p>Compared to that, a polyamorous relationship seemed easier to accept. Or so Renjun had thought. With one minute or so of silence passing, he had nearly expected a change of topics, not Mark, bit by bit, bringing up all his questions, doubts, and considerations on the topic. It was nearly adorable in it’s timid ways if it weren’t so annoying thanks to Donghyuck’s interceptions. Screw him.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>It had taken several days but slowly Renjun grew used to the pace of Ten’s training, the hours of trying to heave Lucas over his shoulder and getting matted by the same. His spine protested less, his legs grew used to the strain, and his arms finally got some volume on them from throwing the older around. Or it might have to do with Lucas having asked him out to the gym, too, to further add on to the strain already exerted by the small Thai. </p><p>Against his prior anticipations, and thanks to slowly accustoming, he actually had had enough energy on this one fine day of being relieved off his duties to pull out his painting materials and occupy the living room. With no one (read: Jeno and, especially, Jaemin) around to actually disturb him, or just distract him, he always had felt more comfortable to do what he enjoyed. Between drinking tea, playing Jeno’s games and preparing food, he hadn’t noticed neither the progress of time nor of his painting. Before he knew, he had finished the last brushes of paint against canvas, still glistening from freshness, and went from using the brushes to cleaning them. </p><p>Only a few feet of a distance made quite the difference between the stench of paint and the aroma of dinner emanated into the air, and it must be quite an odd mixture if Jaemin’s confused expression was anything to go by upon entering their apartment. His nose curled up in a nearly cute way, and Renjun’s lips spread into a smile unknowingly. Why the youngest always did so much for them he could kind of understand now, with the greedy and appreciative eyes tracing the clouds of stream raising into the open air, it felt like the rawest form of appreciation towards what effort was put and expressed.</p><p>“Injunnie,” the younger whined upon encountering their kitchen bar, leaning over it as far as was possible. A pout decorated his dried out lips and one finger pointed at his cheek demandingly. Not exactly the hardest riddle to solve but Renjun didn’t feel like giving in to the other’s whims easily today, rather, he used his just cleaned brush to paint a strip of water against unblemished skin. </p><p>“Go shower,” the smaller pointed out, gesturing towards the according door several feet down. “And when Jeno is here, we can have dinner. No snatching smoochies before that.”</p><p>“If you’re like this, I’ll start thinking you like Jeno more than me.” The pout on Jaemin’s face became more prominent, really, it did his handsome face no favor, but there was no spite in these words. In reality, the nights he spent in Jaemin’s bed put him into plenty an advantage, considering how cuddling was scientifically proven to arouse affection, not to mention the kisses that could be sneaked in. But just thinking about it drove the heat into Renjun’s face so he quickly pushed it aside. “Fine!” It didn’t sound fine at all. Dramatic leo. “But if Jeno arrives, I demand a kiss for every minute that passed until then!”</p><p>“Go suit yourself,” Renjun taunted after him. He didn’t spare an additional look to Jaemin moving around, possibly just trying to show off, but the sound of the shower echoing through the door did somewhat appease him. Considering Jaemin was an advocate of long showers and even longer baths, it came as no surprise their front door opened before the one to the bathroom did. Renjun only checked from the reflection in the glass panes, hands busy collecting the plastic he had spread out to protect the furniture from color, and said, “Go take a shower. When you’re done, dinner will be ready.”</p><p>Against the odds of the haziness of the glass reflection, he could clearly make out the smile on Jeno’s face, be it due the delight at the prospect of dinner or just joy to finally come home. In fact, Renjun shouldn’t even be surprised Jeno showed no hesitation in just going to the bathroom despite it being occupied, short wave of fog coming out of the open door, but the pictures and images that came along with it definitely did him no good. They occupied his mind and tingled his senses, the prominent awareness of how easy it would be to hijack Jaemin’s vision right now tempting him… Just to get rid of these thoughts he aggressively shook his head. He should consider getting some exorcism or other cleansing spiritual rituals done on him if he continued like this. Maybe bath in holy water as that one American priest had recommended which his parents had called upon for his sake. It did seem to be a bit over exaggerated, though. </p><p>He grunted silently, reminding himself to finish up dinner preparations, and with Jaemin and Jeno coming out of the bathroom finally, even that seemed to finish in a flurry. Before he realized, Renjun was already between the two on the couch, bag of sour jelly worms stuck between his knees as he scrolled through their movies list. Similarly as he was stuck between these two, oddly enough, it wasn’t even unusual. </p><p>Throughout the months he had spent with Jaemin and Jeno, he had grown used to casual skinship - the cuddling while watching movies, the little lingering touches when passing things, the seemingly careless signs of reassurance. They were normal, and even if their had been a break due to emotional turbulence, it felt like coming home, to return to these affections, and even turn them up a notch. It seemed easy, like holding his pencils or guiding the brush against canvas.</p><p>Part of it still was easy, the way he would silently share his jelly with Jeno next to him, the fighter’s hand warm on his thigh, whereas Jaemin’s breath felt hot against his neck. “Injunnie,” the youngest whined, right in the middle of the dialogue on screen, so the elbow to the ribs was deserved. Suddenly be overthrown was not deserved.</p><p>His bag of jelly went flying and Renjun found himself forced to partly lay on Jeno’s lap, forced onto his back with Jaemin hovering above him. They seemed to share a thought, looking at Jeno simultaneously, but the hesitance in those ever expressive eyes slowly bled into affection. It definitely did things to Renjun’s heart to see it, the raw emotion, rather than some sort of neglect towards the fact that his heart did, in fact, beat harder for these two, and that they so easily seemed to handle it only made that little organ swell further with emotions. </p><p>Though, judging by the predatory smirk on Jaemin’s lips this really wasn’t the time to get sappy now. For a few seconds, he tried to wiggle out beneath the younger’s firm hold, only that Jaemin had double the advantage of gravity and definitely more strength on him, too. So all his plans of not going down without a fact were eradicated by the time he felt another mouth against his, the bitter taste of coffee against his tongue, and a hand moving to entwine fingers with his. Which wasn’t Jaemin’s, because Jaemin had his next to him to support his weight which meant-</p><p>A silent sound of recognition escaped his lips and he forced one of his eyes to open up to look at Jeno, who only softly smiled at them. Seemingly their movie had been abandoned by all of them. “Don’t mark him up too much, Nana. He’s not just yours to keep.”</p><p>The youngest released a protesting whine, not even bothering to properly part from Renjun when he grinned, “But he tastes really good, Jeno. Or is that just the treat you shared?” There was a meaning underlying these words, and normal Renjun would have the brain capacity to question it. As it was, current Renjun kind of had his brains kissed out of him, so when that stopped, he grunted in displeasure and pulled Jaemin down again, with one hand, because the other was busy giving little squeezes to Jeno’s.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“Why,” Renjun whined, “exactly am I still doing training with Ten?” Like, he got it it. In theory. And Ten was a great teacher and everything, but after having pulled a muscle - again, he might add - the previous afternoon, he was kind of whiny. All the more of a reason to welcome the change of pace as his schedule adjusted once more, physical training sessions getting pushed back a bit in favor of Johnny jumping into their new training method. </p><p>The rifles he already was somewhat familiar with, they had gone over them during his first weeks of shooting, after he had become somewhat more accustomed to the handling of a handgun, when the mechanics of the different firearms had been explained to him, how to handle them, assemble them, disassemble them, clean them, and so on. Today would mark the first day he was actually allowed to use one, even though that was only the introduction to their course.</p><p>“He likes you,” Johnny simply pointed out and that, kind of, actually, pretty effectively, took the wind out of Renjun’s sails. With an imaginary poof his childish anger disappeared and he found any prepared for rebuttal slipping from his mind, replaced by a soft hue of red on his cheeks that he’d rather blame on the surrounding air. “I think he also took quite the liking to teaching someone, considering it’s his first time.”</p><p>“Doesn’t seem like his first time,” Renjun pointed out, a bit defiantly. It was accompanied by the clicking sound of securing his visor to the body of the gun, and he went over every safety mechanism once again before he moved to spread out on his mat comfortably. Anyone who was as sadistic while teaching as Ten was could not possibly a first timer. Albeit others might just call it tenacious or detailed.</p><p>“It is,” the older denied, and quickly explained some parts of the handling before he gave him the target. A bright orange dummy some two hundred meters or so away. The visor wasn’t actually a necessity on this distance just yet, it only was meant to familiarize him with it. “In the Vision unit, there isn’t a lot of newcomers, and even less who actually want to train. A bit like Doyoung, or Jungwoo. They do know how to find, they just found something else would make a better specialty. I think if he had the chance to, Ten would really enjoy being part of our mentor programme.”</p><p>For a moment, Renjun had to push these thoughts aside, more focused on locking down on the dummy through the visor, to pay attention on whether or not there was much of a breeze at the moment or not. Luckily, there wasn’t. That would only add to his luck of first time sniping. When he pulled the trigger, he could quite cleanly observe the place of impact, too. Not exactly bullseye, it would make a<br/>
deadly injury nonetheless. “Why doesn’t he?”</p><p>“They’re too busy.” The older called out another dummy in color, some few dozen feet further away, and Renjun complied. “And while we focus mostly only on Hansol and his traces, they take on other missions too. I think they’re more of what you imagine some super secret agency unit to be like than we are.” </p><p>Without thinking, the Special noted, “Must be hard on you.” It had been driven by the thought of Jaemin and Jeno possibly being so far away from him, constantly on missions, somewhere maybe outside the country even. His only reassurance would be that these two could find comfort in each other still. </p><p>When he looked up, Johnny had some odd sort of expression on his face, not entirely happy but neither disagreement. It was weird. With a ruffle like a wet dog, he shook it off, though. “I’ll go find a hiding place. You know what to do?” Renjun nodded.</p><p>Through the speaker of their phone, he could hear the rustle of leaves and cracking of twigs. In his case, the device was just next to him, put on the ground next to additional ammunition, echoing the noise into the open space, but Johnny had needed to put in an earpiece for easier moving through the forest, and it were the only sounds for a while. When his mentor finally had found a place to hide at, the rustling died down.</p><p>“Did you know a lot of intermediate war victims were due to people walking with their cigarettes on the shooting ranges at night?” Johnny asked, and it seemed to be entirely out of context if it didn’t apply to their situation so well. His mentor was out there, willingly, to act as some sort of aim for Renjun to shoot at, and definitely did not want to carry a lasting injury out of it. The amount of trust that had to go into it the teen didn’t even want to question.</p><p>Instead of an immediate answer, he welcomed the little tickling sensation that traced over his eyelids as he closed them to familiarize himself with Johnny’s sight instead. “I don’t think I’ll even get anything near you, hyung.” Speaking was easy whenever he was like this by now. Unsurprisingly, Taeil had forwarded informations on his progress to Johnny once they realized there was some, and when he had opted for radio silence towards Jaemin, Renjun had needed to find a new exercise partner. His mentor had opted to engage him in conversation rather than make him do actions, but like a dam that was broken, once he had managed to speak the first words, he had found speech in general to come quite easy to him.</p><p>Adjusting his weight, his grip on the trigger, or the aim of the gun weren’t as much. Everything felt heavier like this, either as if the weight of it had doubled or he had simply lost all strength, it simply called for double the effort at any given time, and it was exhausting him. Ten’s training after this would definitely not make it any better.</p><p>“Maybe we should hide and seek then before you try this?” Johnny suggested, playfulness in his tone and utterly endearing were it not so misplaced.</p><p>“I don’t think tracing you down and tripping over things would make aiming at you any easier,” Renjun mumbled. He tried to get a feeling for it, he really tried, but it was hard to use an ability that was based on sight as some sort of GPS tracker just so he’d know what to aim for. He could see the trees in front of his mentor, could see the combat boots and long legs from where they were stretched out on the ground, but it was useless when he couldn’t find the similarity in his own sight. Double vision would really be useful at a time like this. </p><p>“Spatial awareness, Renjun.” The chuckle Johnny released died when the sound of his first shot echoed through the air. The artist had gone with a feeling of guts but as he silently followed the older’s vision, he could make out the indent in a tree some several feet down. It wasn’t a hit but neither a miss as bad as could be. “Three shots. Get closer to me. Then I’ll move spots again.”</p><p>At least, Renjun sighed to himself, now he had something to work with. To know by how much to correct his aim and where to adjust it to. He didn’t make it perfectly close to Johnny at the end of three shots either, but it was a start. Now it was only about not only zeroing in with his three makeup shots but also to get the first one down better.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“I can’t actually believe they let us out…” Slightly dazed, caught up in wonder, Renjun looked outside the coffeeshop’s window overlooking the mall. It did sound somewhat mean, phrasing it like this, but could anyone blame him when his workplace and living place were exactly the same building? Some hours away from the next bigger city? Not really. Reasons like this merely made it a harder task to join a seemingly normal social life, consisting of just getting boba after university class or entering the part-time job market to sponsor one’s own drinking habits, and he greedily sucked in this kind of breath of fresh air. </p><p>Not that he had had much of a social life before too, considering his circumstances, but now that he had better control of his abilities, it was nice to give in to the fantasy of it. Just one afternoon of being a completely normal teenager and not someone trained to become some sick sort of killer machine. Kind of had a resemblance to Terminator, did it not? Or that one Johnny Depp movie. </p><p>“I’m more surprised nobody tried to hit you up yet when you’re, like, famous,” Jeno pointed out opposite him, eyes curved into charming crescents that Jaemin immediately started to coo at. The fighter seemed not the least irritated by curious fingers pinching at his cheeks or the looks that got them - Renjun reasoned a lot of those actually were because kids handsome as these two naturally roused attention - as his eyes stayed focused on Renjun.</p><p>The artist could only shrug. “I don’t think a lot of people are familiar enough with alive artists to possibly recognize me,” he reasoned, and after some seconds added with a little frown, “And considering half my clients thought I was crazy anyways, they’d rather not meet me face-to-face. Why? Are you jealous?”</p><p>“Not as long as they just look.” Just like that, Jeno seemed to brush it off but Renjun couldn’t help but stare at his boyfriend in astonishment. Could someone be that blind… Helplessly he looked at Jaemin.<br/>
Big mistake. His other boyfriend was equally as dumb if his words were anything to go by. “Don’t look like that, Injunnie. I also feel quite content just looking at you for hours.” Maybe calling them dumb was not the most befitting. Or kindest. Definitely clumsy on the uptake at times. Possibly a bit unaware of the effect they had on others, too.</p><p>Renjun lightly raised his eyebrow at that. “Then who gave me all those hickeys and forced me to wear a turtleneck even inside?” The accusation fell on deaf ears, contrary, Jaemin even tried to argue that he could’ve just shown them off, quite in a similar manner as the youngest himself did, but the smaller didn’t feel like having this conversation, especially not in public. “Anyways,” he decided as he got up, “We finally got a chance to do something relatively normal and I got a good enough credit card. Let’s actually make use of an opportunity like this.”</p><p>Within a second, Jeno’s smile turned a bit less secure. “You’re not offering to buy us things, are you, Renjun?”</p><p>“Why not? Having a sugar daddy sounds hot,” Jaemin grinned from besides, already up and about to follow after the smaller. Effectively, it forced the fighter to get a move on too. “I always wondered what it’s like to just go into some random store and buy whatever you want.”</p><p>“And how do you think this is fair on Renjun?” The more reasonable member of their round added on stubbornly. His fingers curled around the tips of said boyfriend’s digits, ending up with a loose holding of hands and as quite the contrast to Jaemin latching onto the artist’s tea cup holding arm. “It’s his own money so he should spend it on hi-”</p><p>“I wanna spend it on you, though,” the card owner pointed out, looking at Jeno funnily. After all, it was his money. And it was more than he could possibly spend on himself alone, all the more when he hardly even got an opportunity to, because cut off from the city, only online shopping remained and besides the fact he didn’t even know their address, he doubted ordering a parcel to some secret agency’s headquarters seemed like a good idea. Such fact was only emphasized by the fact he did get a certain cut of his pictures’ sales and regardless of his lowered productivity, the handful pictures he had sold definitely gave a little boost to that black card of his. “If it’s something that would make you happy, can’t I do that?”</p><p>Renjun’s eyes were big, maybe a bit accusing, as he looked at Jeno and it was all too easy to see how, slowly, the younger was crumbling beneath the stare, like a failed souffle in the oven. “Nothing too expensive…” Jeno eventually relented, and the oldest’s face broke into one victorious grin. </p><p>“There’s no denying our Injunnie, is there?” Jaemin practically purred from his other side, one hand already suspiciously raised but, with his two hands occupied holding something (read: Jeno’s and tea), all it took for the younger to pull back again was but baring his teeth. Affection at home was one thing, public stunts were another. Yet it took a mere second for that distraction to be directed elsewhere, eyes wide and sparkling as they fell upon a luxury store. “Can we go in there? Please?”</p><p>Jeno, on his other side, still seemed hesitant, so Renjun squeezed his fingers reassuringly. “Looking doesn’t cost anything,” he pointed out teasingly, leaning his weight against the taller for a second. It did seem to soothe Jeno a bit, the way he affectionately smiled at Jaemin’s antics in the store some minutes later the best proof of that.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Contrary to his wishes, Renjun had not been allowed to buy them a lot. Or anything too expensive. Against his own words, even Jaemin had opted out of the most expensive suggestions, and while the things bought for him were plenty compared to Jeno’s, the artist was certain it had barely put a dent to his account. But their youngest’s cute act had pulled quite a number on the fighter, enough so that, albeit a bit unwanted, Renjun had eventually been allowed to buy him the coat they had all seemed to be falling in love with. And a sweater. Although only because he had argued that he himself would be stealing it a lot from the younger so he wanted to make sure there was something cozy enough.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, at the opportunity presented, they had also sufficiently stocked up on training gear. Renjun had been nearly blind towards the fact he might have worn his sweats more often within a month than in the whole of the time he had owned them, and considering that fact, he had not hesitated a second in buying some several new sets along with new shoes too, and some tees he just knew were too big on him but would look handsome on his boyfriends. Which then meant he could steal them after.</p><p>Without noticing, time had passed enough for them to crave dinner, and he had insisted to treat them, even if it meant pulling the age card and whatever else necessary on them. In exchange, against his better wishes, he had needed to settle with a less expensive restaurant. Actually, it was just some sort of next door barbecue restaurant so Renjun didn’t understand how he could be so impressed with it. Must have to do with the company, mostly.</p><p>“How’s shooting practice going?” Jeno asked, in quite the endearing way, because the older could tell he was trying to focus on their conversation but dark eyes behind crescent lids readily darted down to the grilling plate whenever the sizzling of meat grew a bit louder. Currently that task was manned by Jaemin, who had first insisted on his duty as the youngest in mockery of Renjun’s earlier words, then pointed out he was the best at it anyways.</p><p>“Better?” Renjun tried, pushing the glass of soju back and forth between his hands. He had actually only gotten so far with it. His range of failure had decreased and his bullets hit closer to the very alive mark by now, despite that he was not yet certain how exactly he could work on his localization skills nor was he able to bridge that last distance of a few feet. The first shot was always several trees away from the one behind which Johnny was hiding. “He wants to increase the difficulty soon…” Which meant rather than aiming for his trainer, he was supposed to hit color marks that were hung up within the alien sight of line.</p><p>Because, as his mentor himself had said with chirpy laughter, “Since we don’t want you to actually hit me, right?”</p><p>Jeno hummed thoughtfully in response to that. “When’s Jaemin joining in?” Said one released a confused noise, the strip of meat nearly slipping out between the tongs. “Jaemin,” Jeno said, a warning tone to his voice, “Did you sleep through Yuta explaining this to you?” </p><p>The sheepish smile was enough of a response, and with a playfully annoyed huff the blond went over to explain it again. Not even the first pieces of meat being offered as sacrifice were enough to placate the slight disgruntlement immediately, and while they fell into a habit of explanation and acting cute and eating, Renjun zoned out.</p><p>All too easily he gave in to this nudging black hole at the behind of his mind, consciousness slipping away from him and the juicy bits of meat Jaemin fed him were long not enough to call him back just yet. Watching Johnny was way more interesting, vision already accustomed to the surrounding dark of the office the two agents were in, seemingly busy with covering any traces they might have left behind. On a small screen connected to the hacked security footage guards could be seen, hunched over their desk in the reception hall. By his best will, Renjun was not able to make out whose office they were in because Johnny’s eyes always skipped over that, already by far done with the analyzing.</p><p>From the looks of it, as long as there wouldn’t be any complications, these two would be soon done with their job, and that meant he could send his mentor a message about joining them on dinner. Not exactly the ideal end to a date, yet one that seemed befitting when considering it was only thanks to Jaehyun and Johnny they got to be around in first place.</p><p>“Wait,” Jaemin asked in a sudden realization, between placing slices of meat on the hot plates. Next to him, Jeno released an urging whine, clearly hungry for the taste of premium beef. “Does that mean the reason I had to learn how to distract, like, five tennis ball machines shooting at me because Injunnie - of all people! - is going to shoot at me?” His voice, higher in pitch and more than just scandalized, easily drew attention from some surrounding people.</p><p>Renjun kicked him under the table. “Be quiet or I’ll actually aim for your head once I have the chance to!” He didn’t point out that, actually, that was something he had already done during their first practice. If they upped both Jaemin’s and Jeno’s trainings each, he was even certain the fighter might, in his need to grow better at handling firearms, end up having to shoot their youngest boyfriend, too. Renjun for sure hoped no third party psychologist was ever going to analyze that part of their dynamic.</p><p>“Ow!” Jaemin cooed, dropping the last of meat on the grill and covering it in mushrooms for the aroma. “You would never! You love me too much!”</p><p>While Renjun did not deny that part, he definitely needed a refill of soju. Silently he gestured the bottle at Jeno who readily held out his glass as well. They both would need it, all the more if Jaemin decided to catch up on their drinking activity. Renjun made sure to mention he would treat the two agents to however much meat they wanted in his text, because if they had to drive three drunk kids home, a hearty meal was the least he could offer to make up for that.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>A dull headache was making him miserable when he eventually woke up in the morning, regrets upon drinking as much already filling his mind. Jeno, he had quite quickly figured out, could hold his liquor better than his boyfriend and best friend, and Johnny was their driver of the night, so somehow it had played out to become a drinking competition between Jaemin and Renjun. The two Superioris with their incredible and oh so fast metabolism managed to drink more than them but definitely at a more relaxed pace. And while Renjun didn’t remember much of the exact happenings except the wonderful taste of meat and tons of laughter, he was definitely still aware of his surprise upon seeing the final price on the receipt. He had promptly trashed it before he could even attempt remembering the number or any of his companions considered feeling guilty about the hefty sum. Maybe it had been a bit above your average neighborhood restaurant after all. </p><p>Currently, though, despite his stomach being tied in knots and his skull pounding softly, he felt quite comfortable. The bed felt warm, and it took him a few seconds it was not because of some wonderful blanket but rather the two bodies who sandwiched him. Also why the pillow was moving beneath his ear. Because it was Jeno’s chest. Naked chest. </p><p>Renjun whined miserably at the realisation of that, only prompting Jaemin to embrace him tighter from behind. That much, at least, felt normal, after so many nights of having shared a bed already, always in the same kind of spooning position as they both preferred sleeping on their sides. Unlike their third, it seemed. It had been a while since he had last been that close to Jeno like this, so comfortable yet so intimate, and putting aside the signs of a hangover, he definitely wanted to enjoy it for a while longer.</p><p>So lost in just listening to his two boyfriends’ breathing, feeling the steady thumping of a heart echo through Jeno’s chest, and having his fingers trace along the carved lines of abdominal muscles, he hadn’t even realized the younger had woken up. Not until fingers entwined with his and their entangled digits came to a rest on the fighter’s bare skin. “How are you feeling?”</p><p>“Never again drinking that much,” Renjun muttered, and his fingers scratched insistently against Jeno’s skin, needy in the way that he demanded for more attention and proximity. Mostly proximity. He was slightly hungover, the lasting percentage of alcohol in his blood making him more whimsical, and it didn’t happen often that he got to lay in bed with his two boyfriends. Actually, amidst his hazy memories, he was certain it had happened only once before. </p><p>At least the blond was quick on the pickup, turning to lay on his side and allowing Renjun to rest his head on his arm as replacement of his chest. Their legs tangled, and it didn’t take long for a quite asleep Jaemin to join in, with one leg thrown high over Renjun’s hip and his heel digging in the back of Jeno’s thigh. It should be suffocating but, aside from the heat bottling up between them beneath the blanket, it was mostly comfortable, cozy and intimate as it could only ever be with these two.</p><p>“How embarrassing were we?” The oldest asked silently, torn between just wanting to curl against Jeno’s chest and wanting to look up, and Jaemin sure wasn’t up to allowing him to do both at once. Being able to hijack vision would have been a great advantage right at this moment. </p><p>Never before he had actually drank as much as yesterday night, Renjun was certain, and whilst he was surprised he had been able to hold his liquor that well for so long, mostly he was intimidated by being able to remember the utter embarrassment that had crept across Jeno’s face. Even worse when he didn’t remember how often that part had taken place.</p><p>“You weren’t that bad,” Jeno assured him, fingers dancing delicately across the older’s face, caressing his cheek and brushing through hair that, unfortunately, smelled still of barbecue and alcohol. Getting two drunk people to undress must have been tiring enough, a shower was impossible. “When you slipped into speaking Chinese you were even quite cute. Even when it looked like you were about to murder Jaemin with your chopsticks while cursing in your mother tongue.” Renjun whined pathetically at that, drawing a little smile upon Jeno’s face. “And at one point you tried to explain to Johnny how English grammar worked. I think you forgot he’s American, baby.”</p><p>Scratch the last part, Renjun was way distracted by the nickname that had slipped so seemingly easily. Jeno had used it only once, and in between the two always using variations of his name, he had never realized how much it could affect him. Until this moment and the blush feeling hot on his cheeks, prompting him to curl into Jeno’s chest after, who didn’t even seem to have noticed.</p><p>“The problem was rather that idiot there,” Jeno went on unbothered, hand reaching across Renjun to flick at Jaemin’s forehead. The youngest only grunted and pressed closer against Renjun. “He was getting all up into his dramatics and then tried to act cute. I think that’s when you proposed murder. But something you did must have prompted his mind to get all jumbled up and after that he was one horny mess. He might have just jumped you in public if only he could…”</p><p>There was a bit of a sour undercurrent to Jeno’s words, and something else Renjun couldn’t determine. Generally, it was hardly notable because Jeno himself, despite all his tough looks and superhuman strength, was a gentle creature at heart, filled with fondness towards the both of them. His fingers found their way to Jeno’s back easily, tracing along his spine and rubbing into his muscles softly, attentive to skipping over ticklish spots. “Thank you,” he eventually said, looking up to carefully gauge the reactions he received. “For taking care of me and him. And making sure we do nothing dumb.” Lightly he winced at himself. “Or dumber… Without you, we’d have been quite the lost case.”</p><p>All too easily it was seen how fondness tinted the fighter’s dark orbs again, in the short moment before they were covered by crescent lids. “I always thought you’d bring some sense into our life, not more chaos, Renjun.”</p><p>The pinch, Renjun reasoned, was quite deserved, even when it had Jeno flinching slightly and the muscles he was resting on tensing in surprise. “Shut up,” he mumbled, and returned to his more curled up position. Seconds of silence passed like this, with Jeno’s fingers combing through his hair, soothing and gentle. Renjun felt close to dozing off again when he pointed out, “I quite like this. The three of us like this.”</p><p>“Yeah?” Jeno asked, like a quiet need for reassurance. “We could do this more often then…”</p><p>Renjun immediately hummed in agreement. As long as he could be a clingy sloth in bed, he was also certain Jaemin wouldn’t mind changing their location of sleep. But thinking of their youngest, he’d rather enjoy sleep some longer before the chaos that would ensue with a surely hungover Jaemin waking up. </p><p>“Love you,” Renjun muttered, silently, more in a daze than out of consciousness, before he drifted off again. He could only feel two arms pulling tighter around him before he was out of commission once more.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Collectively, I do have <a href="https://twitter.com/starrymeis">twitter</a> and <a href="https://curiouscat.me/starrymeis">curiouscat</a> and if you ask for it, I also really enjoy doing little drabbles in between so hit me with your headcanons and/or questions! be it related to this AU or another, I just leave reading about other people's ideas, too (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ayyy, chapter six is here and that means the story will soon come to an end!</p><p>I actually managed to squeeze some more characters in and I think I did manage to alleviate the mood a bit (before I'll have to bring it down again haha)</p><p>Posting a bit sooner today before I'm boarding for my flight as the final parts of this story frame my vacation.<br/>I hope you'll get to enjoy it well again 💜</p><p><b> trigger warning</b> - again, there's mentions of guns and aim practice but no one gets injured.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Oh, Renjun!” It was nearly adorable how Mark’s whole face lit up when seeing the younger enter the library and, honestly, since when did they even have a library? At this point Renjun was so used to all the high technology surrounding them and offices being decked with computers this place felt… off. With shelves filled with books that had not yet been transferred to some database, or because someone around actually preferred the sensation of paper beneath their bare hands, it seemed to be at great odds with the rest of the headquarters.</p><p>Silently, though, Renjun mourned the fact he hadn’t been able to find out about this spot any earlier. It was cozy, it seemed like a nice place of retreat, but then again, just falling into Jeno’s bed in the evening, where sometimes their mixed scents of shower gel and shampoo from their daily washing up lingered, that seemed to be a way nicer sanctuary anyways. Especially now that they had started to use Jeno’s bed as the three of them than just Jaemin’s for two. Fair enough, Renjun hadn’t even been aware Jeno had owned the luxury version of their beds until that doomed morning of hangovers and sickness.</p><p>“Why are you acting surprised when you told me to come here?” The artist pointed out but, still, dropped his weight onto one of the couches that were around, choosing the one offering him the best view of Mark. </p><p>“You’re punctual, is all.” The older smiled, and then went through some papers to place on the low table between them. “Taeyong-hyung said to teach you about team formations but I’m not sure exactly where to start… This is not exactly my forte.”</p><p>Were there a need to be honest, Renjun would have told his suspicion on that. Maybe he was not Donghyuck level smart, but even he had some time to spare in between to think about the things going on around here, and how everything worked. He had decided on this kind of lifestyle when he had joined their first mock missions, might as well go along with it. So to him it seemed logical Mark had been chosen for this kind of task: their team leaders were too busy to focus on it, overwhelmed by bureaucratics and administrations and organizing, meaning Yuta, Taeyong, and the still around Kun were out; at the same time, they needed someone with the appropriate intellect and active field experience, effectively crossing Doyoung and Jungwoo out; then there was the fact they shouldn’t hold abilities nor be a preoccupied mentor, crossing some more off the list; finally, Mark would seem like the most logical person to choose.</p><p>What more, considering how long he had been with the agency, despite his short time of full agent status, Renjun was aware few would know as well how it was run as the Canadian would. It made him a safe choice more than anything. </p><p>“Why am I the team leader anyways? Isn’t Jeno supposed to be in charge of that?” Blindly he reached for a pillow to hug against his chest, resting his chin on the bunched up fabric. As he had understood it, the “normal” parties were in charge of the leading because, in case of a liability, at least the higher-ups would know it was not because of some weird form of suddenly feeling connected to Ji Hansol or whatever else. Who had, surprisingly, moved down on their list of priorities recently, as it seemed, or maybe that was just Renjun being caught up in training. </p><p>At that, Mark gave him a sympathetic smile. “Team formations isn’t the same, Renjun. Jeno will be made leader anyways, we all know that. But you’re the one who figured out Taeyong’s and Jaehyun’s attack pattern against Jaemin that day so they figured you might be better fit for strategy…”</p><p>Put like that, it seemed reasonable. It wasn’t even that Jeno didn’t like to think about it, he likely did a lot more than he should, but there was a difference between looking at it emotionally or separately. And despite his huge infatuation with these two, at least Renjun was aware he would readily analyze anything if it meant giving these two a better advantage in battle. Add to it that he was kind of forbidden from getting involved with the immediate mission anyways. Made sense Johnny was trying to train him to become a sniper. </p><p>“So what’s my tasks then? When that’ll end up to my duty?” Trying to seem more interested, Renjun sat up from where he was curled around his pillow, eyes curiously tracing after every of Mark’s moves.</p><p>
“Alright, so…” Mark drawled on, quickly picking through his papers to pull one out. It was an older mission leaflet, some two or three years in the past, with the bare minimum of information printed. “You’ll receive one of those during a meeting. Because we’re doing this less Mission Impossible style than some might think, and then you’ll receive the according data. Like…” His fingers traced over the lines, straining to read everything upside down as it was presented to Renjun. The paper was mostly easy to read, there was a mission code, the participating agents and who was made team leader, the objective and a list of risks that could be taken if necessary. It actually looked no better than a task sheet in a high school class. Not like he ever attended one. “Here.” Mark’s finger tapped against the line telling what building it would all take place in. “You’ll receive blueprints of the building and all. Nowadays Doyoung just makes 3D models with the viewing area of the cameras marked and all, so you’d know what to avoid. They just give you all this kind of information, and then you make your plan. Understood?”</p><p>Lightly, Renjun raised an eyebrow at the older. “So you give us all this information but tell us to dig our grave ourselves?”</p><p>“Well… no…” The agent seemed a bit taken aback. “But each team has their own strengths and weaknesses. Team leaders - Jeno, in your case - would only accept the mission, take charge during it, and then report back. Your task is to figure out how to get them in, out, and how to make sure there’ll be as little problems as possible. If things change, you’ll have to be aware of what to do because headquarters won’t always be available…”</p><p>For a moment or two, or maybe a handful, the artist just looked at his opposite, pondering the possibilities. Basically, it meant that he had a lot of the work to do: to remember the details of their every mission, run scenarios on this and that, to take into consideration what risks they should not or could take. It, honestly, seemed like too much. But when he thought of it the other way, that otherwise it was upon Jeno, most likely, again, who would in that case have double the burden of paperwork and brains, and it didn’t seem fair either. To task Jaemin with that was also unfair, because at some point of their time spent together, Renjun had realized it wasn’t actually that easy for the youngest either, to always keep tight control over his abilities lest everything would start to float or just get pulled towards him as the new center of gravity.</p><p>“It’s not as hard as it actually looks,” Mark softly pointed out. “Missions usually go according to the primary plan and you get help with that. Things like security footage and so is always available to you since we started to use technology more. It only sounds intimidating now, Renjun, but it isn’t that much.”</p><p>“Yeah, no,” the Chinese huffed, roughly pushing back his hair, out of his face. “Let’s just get to it.” He’d rather use his brain capability to get used to this than overthinking. If they wanted to be a team, they each would have their own responsibilities to carry, so he was not about to chicken out of that. He had made it this far, he could manage more, too. “But can you talk the hyungs into this being more important than training with Ten?”</p><p>Mark laughed at that. Deadass laughed at it. Totally deserved the pillow Renjun aimed at him. “No. Ten is quite possessive of what he likes, I wouldn’t dare challenge him on that. Shall we get started now?”</p><p>The artist cut a grimace but in front of Mark’s earnest and delighted eyes, it was hard to deny him anyways. How did Donghyuck even manage to? A little annoyed puff of air escaped him, but then he nodded his head in agreement. Better get this over with anyways.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“Are you certain this is a good idea?” Jaemin’s voice did sound a bit insecure and, if he had to be honest, no, Renjun was not. Who in their right mind would even feel comfortable getting shot at? Not to mention shooting at their boyfriend? Especially when said boyfriend, unlike Johnny, was out in the open and could not seek refuge behind a tree. In that case it wasn’t even helping to know they were using the older’s special ammunition, meaning the gunsman could change its direction in the special case Jaemin was not able to deter it on his own. </p><p>“Ask Johnny that,” Renjun muttered under his breath. It wasn’t even the case that he lacked faith in Jaemin’s skill, the mere thought of having to shoot someone directly was simply unsettling. Under different circumstances he was certain they would have been given more time but, as it was, they needed to mostly master their skills within the remaining four months to prove they were cut out for this, for a team of three rather than just two. And that they were ready to be sent on missions, because that seemingly had something to do with age as well. The day he would understand all the details of how the agency worked would be a sacred one. </p><p>Thanks to the distance between them, it was hard to figure just where Jaemin stood. Knowing the younger was kind of facing his direction, as anyone held at gunpoint likely would, didn’t exactly make it easier to track him down with all the covert between them. It took some several seconds, about the same time it would have taken him to trace down Johnny’s location too, but unlike his mentor facing away, with Jaemin looking his direction it was like a certain kind of click, it made sense. The very moment his aim was directed at his hijacking sight, he just knew. And just like the first time, he pressed the trigger without thinking.</p><p>Which, admittedly, wasn’t the smartest move to make. He could hear the reverberation of the rifle right into his ear, and as the sound still made his tympanum ring, the bullet was already right in front of his eyes. It was perfectly aimed, would have made one phenomenal headshot, only it was stuck a few inches in front of Jaemin, held back by an invisible forcefield, and then got pushed back. Similar to the recoil Renjun remembered from his first time punching the younger, or trying to, it held quite the force, but without a barrel to control its direction, it toppled through the air, broke through some branches and then fell down.</p><p>“What the heck?” Jaemin yelled, screamed, and, well, yeah, deserved. Renjun would admit to that. “Why are you just shooting without any kind of warning? Are you actually trying to get me killed or something, Hwang Injun?” </p><p>“Maybe he just wants to break up?” Johnny suggested from the sidelines, amusement evident in his eyes but it quickly faded when faced with Jaemin’s expression. It changed to worry with seemingly the snap of a finger and his hand reached forth to likely ruffle through the recently dyed hair. “You’ve already been through his once, Jaemin, and nothing happened. You should have more faith in your own abilities too. And you!” Renjun winced even over the distance that should theoretically block off Johnny’s gaze. “You should actually give a warning the next time. We’re trying to get you attuned to this situation, not make this an incident of luck.”</p><p>“Sorry…” Well aware it wasn’t enough, it was still the only thing the artist was able to offer at the moment. With a sigh he sat up, his vision returning to him easily and the blurr faded within seconds. Later in the day, when they were back home, he would actually need to have make up for this, when now he couldn’t. Because this was still only the first round of shots he was supposed to fire, despite knowing who he was aiming it. Not like it was even possible to forget about that…</p><p>In theory, this skill sounded awesome. Not so much the “shoot at someone you know” part, but rather the one where Jaemin used his abilities to deter the bullet to hit another target. It was the kind of backup plan nobody expected, not even those who might somehow actually possibly know about their special abilities, because bullets changing directions was irritating enough, when they came from a weapon and a shooter no one was able to see? Even better. </p><p>It was a trick that was easy to adjust to with Johnny, who could just sense his own blood in this certain alloy but with Jaemin it was a question of trust, reaction time, and accuracy. Not just a trigger pressed on a whim. And compared to the younger, he still had the easier job, only needed to aim at the other, whereas it was upon Jaemin to redirect the bullet and aim it without having any tool to keep it steady. It simply was prone to be tiring, at the end of the day. </p><p>Shortly, he pressed the heels of his palm against his eyes, just wanted to take a breather for another moment but Johnny’s voice telling him they had relocated pulled him out of that. With a few motions he loaded the next bullet and wordlessly settled into his previous situation, fixing his hands on the rifle before he allowed his vision to flicker out and get replaced by Jaemin’s.</p><p>It didn’t exactly get easier, not for another good hour of working this combination, to track down the younger’s position and always again, the moment he finally managed to lock sight, he had to remind himself not to give in to that twitch of his finger and pull the trigger all too hasty. Like tracing positions, it was something he always again had to remind himself off, and he really shouldn’t question his own readiness to shoot as easily as this. </p><p>Once again he felt the metal slightly dig into his finger, the little pressure, and recalled his intentions as he released a breath of air. “Locked,” he muttered, and with a little gesture Jaemin signed him to shoot. Nerve wracking. It was exactly that, regardless of the times he experienced it, the sight of the bullet just stopping in front of him - Jaemin - and getting repelled into the open again. Second hand experience alone was scary, he couldn’t understand how the younger could so easily bear with that, but he definitely felt a shiver of relief when Johnny declared, “Alright. I think that’s enough for today, kids.”</p><p>A few simple words, and like fingers snapped, Renjun returned to his own sight, quickly pulling the safety on the rifle, only to then roll onto his back and release on tired exhale. By now, he would be happy if only this activity wouldn’t leave him as exhausted, just like physical training, he had thought to grow used to it sometime soon. As it was, moving his body like this, while basically being disconnected, it wasn’t quite as easy as it sounded, and it probably would be even harder without first Jaehyun’s and then Ten’s excruciating training. Which he still had to go through later. A despairing groan escaped him.</p><p>For a few seconds, his eyes fell shut, already dreading later in the day, but as he opened them, rather than seeing the sky and clouds, he was upside down face to face with a very pouty, kind of annoyingly adorable Jaemin. “You tried to kill me,” the younger emphasized once more, surely not going to allow Renjun to live it down anytime soon.</p><p>“I’ll make up for it,” he promised, despite it not actually being something he could actually make up for. Then again, the things of that could or could not be seemed to have taken quite a shift ever since he had come here, and the pout didn’t exactly disappear but there was a satisfied glint in Jaemin’s eyes nonetheless. </p><p>“Gonna hold you to your words,” his roommate pointed out, lilt in his voice and there was a short kiss, no more than a short peck pressed against Renjun’s lips, and Jaemin was gone. The artist was tempted to call him out on the unfairness of not having to clean up but, remembering he had literally been shot at for close to two hours now, he bit back his comments. Only looked after the gravitation manipulator so long he didn’t even notice Johnny showing up next to him.</p><p>“You know,” his mentor started, “I think the three of you will actually make a great team.”</p><p>It caught Renjun a little off guard, suddenly being addressed like this, and then embarrassed, thanks to the affection warm within dark orbs. He still wasn’t used to that part of having some sort of father figure in his life. Even if their age difference wasn’t that drastic, there just was that feel. “I sure hope we do or I’ll strangle you for making us go through all this.”</p><p>“Knowing Ten, you probably would be able to,” Johnny laughed out loud. “Now, get up and let’s clear this mess. Jaemin might be waiting for you to get another smooching session squeezed into your schedule.</p><p>Renjun threw the older a glare. A quite half hearted one. The thought of that actually made his heart race, which he definitely wouldn’t admit to. No way.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>There was a rather intense knocking sound disrupting the peace of Doyoung’s office which, in itself, was already weird. Usually the members of the intelligence unit would either communicate with their some-sort-of boss via the intern messaging service, the same that was installed on all their phones, or they would notify him of their arrival and then just flounder inside to talk with the older. Nobody actually knocked.</p><p>The situation only got weirder when that someone asked, “Can you leave us alone for a moment?” Because, much as they might want that, Renjun was caught up in a piece and he was really savoring his time away from all the training so he didn’t actually want to. He was already about to propose noise cancelling headphones Doyoung had bought him for exactly such reasons when it rather was the office owner who got up.</p><p>A confused little noise escaped the teen at that, eyes tracing after the other who walked past him with a little pat to the shoulder. Personally, Renjun was certain there were few people who’d be able to lure the older out of his own office so his eyes darted over immediately, faced with their unit leader himself. The term team leader he had always associated with Taeyong and Yuta might no longer be accurate if now he was supposed to be part of a team rather than a duo underneath them. And a little voice in his mind it was exactly that reason Taeyong had come here.</p><p>The smaller adult seemed slightly apologetic about having to send one of the original people around out, an emotion that disappeared quickly enough as the older’s gaze settled upon Renjun. Another little voice told him to put his graphic tablet aside so, albeit a bit reluctant to, he slowly put that down too. </p><p>Just in time for Taeyong to settle into the swivel chair priorly occupied by Doyoung and turn around so they could look at each other. Wide eyes that might be a perfect image of innocent were hard and earnest at the moment, bracing their owner for whatever was about to come. “I don’t really want to make a big talk out of this but I am here to settle something with you and I hope you won’t look at me or the team unkindly after.”</p><p>Which, honestly, was not the best to go about calming someone down, but Renjun did not point out that part. Priorly he hadn’t had much to do with Taeyong, or as Johnny said, “If you’re not Jaehyun, you hardly see him. And even those two…” And then waved it off with a hand. The implication was clear enough. Taeyong was a busy man and Jaehyun seemed to be similar to Jeno in that aspect, someone who would kindly wait. </p><p>The mock exams had been another story, though, and he had had a feeling since then that at least one of their leaders was not perfectly happy with what was going on around there. As if the markers on their review hadn’t been enough to indicate that…</p><p>“I want to be honest with you, Renjun,” Taeyong started, and despite the stern tone it still sounded somewhat careful, like a knife held to the neck but with just enough distance not to cut skin. “I’m not a fan of making a mission group out of the three of you and I don’t mean that personally. We usually go in as partners because someone has to have our back when shit goes down, which is not only complicated with three people but triangulation always bears its own risks. And as it currently stands, out of the three of you, if something goes wrong - are you aware you are the safest and most vulnerable of the three of you at once?”</p><p>It was an aspect Renjun had not yet considered, the reason why they always went on missions in even numbers, save the ones who might only serve as backup. Why it was partners amidst a team. Put like this, it made more sense, and considering their team constellation, Taeyong’s words made sense all the more. Because he was the one outside, settled on a boat while everyone was carried by the sea, not directly involved with the mission but a regulatory body who had to keep track from the outside. It also meant it was alone, in case someone were to figure this out, and more so traced him down, all the more if his sight was projected onto Jaemin rather than his surroundings.</p><p>But he didn’t want to back down, didn’t want to be left out, so he could only swallow these thoughts down. Now was not the time for them. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”</p><p>Taeyong’s gaze seemed to soften a bit, but for how short the emotion flickered through his eyes, Renjun might as well have been wrong. “You’re a good kid, Renjun, and you were just thrown into this at once yet you’re holding up so well… Most of us spent a way longer time here, did you know? Some of us are the kids of the researchers whose facility this once was.”</p><p>He remembered having heard about that, Yuta and Taeyong especially. Jisung too. He wasn’t too sure about the others but neither had he questioned it too much. Only thing he was aware was that he definitely was the latest addition in terms of future and active field agents. Nonetheless, he didn’t want to dig into the other members’ personal information more than what they were willing to take so he only nodded his head once. </p><p>“To us, this is like family, and I am glad you found a place among us, don’t get me wrong,” Taeyong started once more, and at that Renjun knew there was a second bomb to be dropped, “But I do feel obliged to ask you about the kind of relationship you have with Jeno and Jaemin before I let you go on with what we planned.”</p><p>That… was fair. Actually, Renjun had no proper reason to deny that question, in fact, wasn’t it common courtesy to inform their superiors about dating in the workplace? Not like he had experience with that. More so, it was nearly a wonder the other hadn’t yet caught on with the gossip that must have been going around but then again, Taeyong was supposed to be a workaholic with a weird work rhythm.</p><p>
“I’m dating them,” he eventually answered, and quickly added for clarification, “Both of them.” Not exactly the most common sort of relationship dynamic but after working with people like them, who were mutations or digitally supported, it must seem like a rather normal thing. From an outside point of view. Or, at least the most normal thing. </p><p>“We don’t exactly have a no dating policy between partners on the field but it’s also not something I encourage. Losing a friend on a mission would be hard enough, as you must be aware. Being with a romantic partner takes it up to another notch. And you are the weakest link in that sense, Renjun.” </p><p>It was a jab. Not an undeserved one, yet still a jab. It had the younger lowering his head as he pondered it, the memory of Jeno’s noise of distress upon getting his shoulder dislocated during the mock echoing in his ears. The very reason he had blown their examination off. The biggest risk in case he got caught was that it could go both ways, with not only him being the one to possibly sacrifice some mission for the sake of protecting his beloved.</p><p>“I don’t want to be a liability to them. It would be the worst I can do,” Renjun muttered, teeth digging into his lower lip at the idea of that. It would be painful, any possible scenario ending with either of them injured, yet it was nothing they could avoid in this field, and he was aware of it. It just wasn’t the train of thought he wanted to indulge too much, lest he was too scared of any of these cases to focus on the things that they eventually had to face. </p><p>Taeyong must be aware of that, with the burden of more than just one fate upon his shoulders, and probably for that reason he cut the younger some slack. The teenager felt a wave of relief flooding him when the topic wasn’t brought up again. Instead, the older pointed out, “You’re not the only one to have this conversation currently. Earlier I talked to Jeno, too, and Yuta should be with Jaemin now. I just want you all to be aware of the consequences of your circumstances.”</p><p>The words didn’t lessen the seriousness their conversation had held, they were only a reassurance to Renjun not to feel picked on. And it was a thought he appreciated. He still felt a bit awkward around the unit leader but he did try his best at smiling at the older in acceptance.</p><p>“Your art is very beautiful, by the way,” Taeyong suddenly switched topic, eyes at the screen rather than the trainee now. For once it was not a portrait of Jeno, or Jaemin, or both, rather an experiment on colors and their integration. “I’ve been impressed by your work before you came here already. Just didn’t think someone like you would turn out to be a product of my own father’s work.” Finally, contrasting the heavy atmosphere of seconds earlier, the mood lightened a bit, with some glint within the older’s eyes Renjun couldn’t exactly identify.</p><p>“You can have one of my artworks,” he offered, without thinking much of it. Not to get into better graces with his superior but simply because it seemed to be such an honest compliment, such earnest words, it felt natural to offer it. Unlike his parents he hadn’t cared about the financial aspect of it quite as much, after all. </p><p>For maybe the first time since knowing him, Renjun could see a smile on the older’s face. “Focus on your training first, kid. You still have some months before I have to decide about your three’s future.”</p><p>
It were funny parting words, not something the artist found himself able to immediately react to, but it didn’t seem like there was a need to answer anyways with the way Taeyong already got up and headed for the door. He was gone as swiftly as he had come by, and it took only seconds for Doyoung to return. Renjun acted to focus on his artwork in favor of ignoring the curious glance thrown his direction, and it took only moments until the familiar clicking of a keyboard filled the silence of the room again.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>The door always echoed loudly throughout the room, and from where Renjun was hanging upside down with his knees hooked to the gymnastic rings. Getting familiar with them wasn’t part of his training, he simply found them fun to work and they had already been released when he had arrived early to the gym, begging him to use them. Now that he thought Ten to have arrived, he was only waiting for the command to come down that never actually arrived.</p><p>Instead, legs dressed in sleek black cotton pushed into his line of sight and, as he traced them up, he found himself looking up at Jeno instead. Most unfair part of it was that Jeno still looked handsome like this while his own neck was bent enough to show a double or triple chin. Quite advantageous.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” He asked, hands already reaching for the rings to somersault out of them which he quickly put into action too. Both feet steady on the ground, he twirled around to be as close to eye level as they could be. Jeno’s form had transformed into a softened version of sulkiness so he was quick to react, “Not that I’m unhappy! But Ten…”</p><p>“Ten’s on a mission with Jaehyun. So you,” a finger was pointed Renjun’s direction, “and me,” and then Jeno’s, “are alone today. I would even propose skipping but they’d have our asses for that so let’s just try to have fun, shall we?”</p><p>“I’m not exactly sure what the fun part of you beating me up is,” the smaller protested with a little huff. His eyes weren’t on his boyfriend, for he was tracing the fixture on the ceiling to figure how to pull the rings up there again, down the wall, until he found the right chains to do just that. “You’ll happily walk out of here and I’ll just feel as beaten as I do with Lucas. Or worse.”</p><p>“I can go easy on you.” Jeno smiled, and it did sound equally nice and insulting at once.</p><p>Renjun shot him a glare. “And get my pride trampled all over? No, thanks.” For one last time he checked the fixture so the rings wouldn’t suddenly fall down and hit their heads, chains rattling softly. A welcome distraction because he was feeling surprisingly shy. After months of training apart when knowing how much this time together means, it feels like being back to first base rather than three months into a relationship and all that comes along with that.</p><p>Certain the rings wouldn’t drop and hoping for the chains to be as sturdy as his own nerves, he headed for the mats. Faux confidence had him square his shoulders as he signed Jeno to come closer, would rather they go all out on this than play around. By now, at least, he already had a mindset that not losing didn’t always mean not winning. Every new spar would help him later, and how many agents would possibly have a cheat code chip implanted to their brain…</p><p>Nonetheless, it felt a bit weird. He had started fighting with Jeno, yes, and somewhat gotten used to it, too, but that has been quite a while ago and returning to it seemed… vague. A lot of things might have changed, both on his and Jeno’s side, and it made this exhilarating in the worst ways. Rollercoasters might be a nice comparison, the jitters before boarding, the excitement and yelling when riding, the satisfying exhaustion that came with an adrenaline rush like that. </p><p>Renjun was also aware the little smile he received was nothing short of deceiving, it seemed innocent, and was a perfect interlude to the punch he was barely so able to dodge. A curse nearly left his lips, one he had to swallow down with the little time he actually had to spare before Jeno came in with another, and in a case like this, even the little protective training gear they had wouldn’t make much of a difference on the impact. </p><p>There was a distinct difference between standing in front of Jeno and Lucas each, one that had little to do with their posture and all with their approach. It was like standing in front of a hungry hyena or a calculating mountain lion, a fight decided by instinct or cunningness. Because Lucas, foregoing the brain implant, was more reliant on his basic senses, using experience to guide his movements and with less variety in style, every hit carried a deeper sentiment.</p><p>Jeno, though, Jeno was like a machine. It would be beautiful to watch if it weren’t so deadly, an opinion that was highly influenced not only by being in love but also at the receiving end of these hits. Naturally, with a genetical makeup like this, there was the strength to back up every attack, add to that the impact of perfect theoretical knowledge and sufficient experience, and it made a beautiful display. </p><p>It was a one-sided dance, with one side clearly overpowering, but matching steps and movements flowing quick, Renjun wouldn’t want to exchange it for anything else right then. For exactly this reason he got up again and again, despite being thrown down on the mattress and with no other move to counter anymore. Sometimes he was able to, dish out a particularly well aimed kick to the ankles or back of the knees and the other might topple over, but it wasn’t always quite like that. Which was simply something he had to deal with. Key was not giving up overall.</p><p>“You got better,” Jeno gasped in a fitting moment of the two of them having retreated a few feet. Even like this, the younger had a better form, more stable on his feet, less out of breath, while Renjun already felt like toppling over.</p><p>Blame it on his stubbornness he didn’t, rather, he went in once again, carefully dodging the punch he had already awaited in favor for a kick of his own. It was both harder and easier than knocking over Lucas, harder because of the difference in weight but easier because he didn’t need to stretch his leg quite as much. The kick connected well enough to have Jeno toppling over and, with one timed grip, him as well. </p><p>Rolling around on the floor, like a distant memory from childhood, quickly turned from serious and aggressive to funny, despite their still trying to outdo each other. “You just can’t-” Renjun forced out between hits and tumbling over that only stopped when he was on top, using his weight on one knee to prevent their toppling over further. </p><p>“Hm?” Like that, Jeno looked nearly innocent again, eyes wide and curious but the smaller’s wrist and thigh in a death grip each. Slightly, Renjun tried to wrench himself out of the hold but deemed it all the more useless than it already was when instead he was thrown down again, this time with Jeno caging him down to the ground with his weight. “Can’t what?”</p><p>As a far echo of a memory, he remembered when he had once gone to a tea shop he liked for the way he could comfortably sit down and space out watching people, and overheard some boys a table away. Overheard wasn’t even correct when they had yelled around but, thing was, suddenly he could clearly remember how one of them had smugly talked about the tickle fight with his girlfriend. Then it hadn’t been about the fun behind it but the generous body contact and the proximity of it and excitement coming along with such.</p><p>It was now back because, caught like this, Renjun felt awfully aware of the places their limbs met, the heat easily permeating through their thin clothes, or the way Jeno’s puffs of air hit his face, the darkness in the younger’s eyes that spoke countless promises he couldn’t even file. Suddenly he could understand what that boy had meant back then, even when it didn’t make his heart beating so fast any easier to deal with.</p><p>“Can’t do this to me…” Renjun breathed out softly, eyes closing for a moment as he tried to will his bothersome thoughts away. Now really wasn’t the time… Except he was the only one thinking like this, it seemed, all too aware despite seeing of the way Jeno lowered himself for a short little kiss.</p><p>“We could end training early today,” the younger proposed slyly, “Go home, shower, and watch a movie until Jaemin comes home too.”</p><p>Suspiciously, Renjun narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend. “Are you proposing Netflix and Chill to me right now, Lee Jeno?”</p><p>Said boy hummed in happy agreement, eyes curving to crescents and well, okay, if that’s how it would go.</p><p>“Get off me,” the older only grunted, pushing Jeno off him just so he could be the first to get up. A quick glance at the clock told him they didn’t actually cut time by much, weighing easier on his conscience as he looked down at the younger. “But I want ice cream before that. And you’re not telling Jaemin.” Because sure as hell, their youngest would scold him for noshing on sweets before dinner.<br/>
Jeno mimed zipping his mouth, and thus it was a done deal, and a perfect plan for a evening as well.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>If someone were to ask Renjun, demanding honesty, how many members there were in the Vision unit, he wouldn’t be able to answer at all. Neither would he know how to explain that he hadn’t ever noticed there was a huge garage somewhere in the building but he kind of blamed that on his two now-boyfriends. </p><p>The prior question yet remained and Renjun, earnest to god, had no idea. Somehow, in his mind, there were some names popping up, or faces, stories he had once been told, but between those members he was familiar with by now, like Ten and Lucas, others remained a mystery to him. Like Yangyang. More so when all he had been told so far was to visit the other in the garage.</p><p>Similar to the library, it wasn’t a place he hadn’t been familiar with before. It was one of these things you just don’t question, the sky is blue, roses are red, agents have cars. He never actually considered where they came from, it was just one of these mysteries of the agency, similar to Johnny’s blood bullets or the twenty different chess boards he had seen showing after hijacking Donghyuck’s vision. Just one of these things that weirdly fit into place and no one actually questioned. </p><p>Apparently, he should question a lot, because as he entered the hall, it was… Now, impressive might be an understatement. Simply because the hall was easily warehouse size, and there was a lot more cars than Renjun even wanted to attempt counting. Still, there seemed to be a distinct difference between two categories, evident by a few differences, and it took him a few seconds to realize it must have to do with who is employed here and just parking their cars (which finally resolved that question for him), and those cars actually owned by the agency.</p><p>It weren’t actually too many people who came in for work to their headquarters, the assistance Doyoung needed in intelligence, some office workers to aid with the papers and legalities, and the supporting stuff responsible for the kitchen or cleaning or whatever else might pile up. So it was no wonder the employee cars filled up only two rows of the hall, which was still an impressive enough count, but the other half was more interesting.</p><p>For one, the cars there didn’t even have their own number plate each. Some did have it attached, some had not, and Renjun would bet one dinner’s worth of money there was a box lying around with several of those accumulated. The cars were also way different to the only parked ones, ranging from the sports type to what might be considered a street tank. At least it looked the same level of intimidating but in SUV shape.</p><p>Renjun didn’t even ask why these two halves of the hall weren’t separated by something, letting just about any employe see what was going on. Kind of it made sense, it would be more intimidating to not see what was going on there, especially when it was only cars, and driving past additional hurdles might just be all the more bothersome. </p><p>All these cars also made it more difficult to spot the very person he was looking for, not to mention yelling for this Yangyang kid seemed intimidating anyways. Was that guy even a kid? Considering their averagely low age - none of them geezers in their forties like seemingly every movie had one casted as side character - he had just assumed it would be another younger person. But, who knows, Q in James Bond also was an old grandpa despite James Bond actors being already middle aged.</p><p>Only the question about who he was looking for was resolved when, all of a sudden, a clamp was hurtled past him, mere inches from his face and that really did him no good. He had experienced one too many bullets flying into Jaemin’s face from second hand vision to get startled by that, but as the delayed realization kicked in of him having been the person to have been aimed at, without any gravitational field to protect him, and that would have ended with one messy injury.</p><p>“Are you crazy?” He yelled as he shifted his weight to turn sideways, now able to look at a kid about his age, honey hair looking soft and expression more mirthful than even a mean three year old toddler’s. “Batshit or something?”</p><p>“Man, chill,” the stranger just laughed it off. “I know how to aim. At least you’re funnier than Chenle. Sometimes I think his ability is superstition and not hearing.” The boy jumped down a car he had been working on and approached Renjun, calloused and dirtied hand held out innocently. “I’m Yangyang and I bet you’re here for me. Kun already told me the new one would show up sometime around.”</p><p>There was pettiness acting up in his guts, telling the Special not to shake the outstretched hand but then again, what choice did he have. The other was still a member of the agency, maybe part of Vision, still someone he would have to interact with in the future too. It hurt his pride to have to swallow it but he took the hand offered and squeezed it a bit tighter than necessary. </p><p>Yangyang, first of all, didn’t seem to care, and then, adding on to that, even used the tight grip to pull him along. “Pretty sure no one told you what you’re here for. They never do. Anyways,” the honey haired simply rambled on, and Renjun wasn’t sure whether to get a headache or tell him to shut up. Crucial info, he reminded himself. “I don’t really trust Jaemin with these things but Jeno already finished this. Leaves only you. Cause, y’know, driving is important and all.”</p><p>At that, Renjun dug his heels into the ground, forcing Yangyang to an abrupt stop. “I’m sorry - what?” Driving? Him?</p><p>“Well, I don’t really care about the liability of law and traffic security and all, but if something happens, I want my babies back in one piece so you’re the plan b for that case,” Yangyang simply shrugged it off and the way he phrased it, at least to Renjun, did seem a bit intimidating. “You can learn about basic regulations with Doyoung since none of us cares about parking tickets or those things anyways. And if your license is fake, no one can freeze it either.”</p><p>Somehow, within a few seconds of just talking, the artist got the feeling that this boy in front of him might be the most dangerous member of the whole team. Not in the way Ten and Sicheng were killer machines or Taeyong was simply intimidating at times, much more so because Yangyang had to think so little of the law that it was just frightening. It was a way of thinking that was scary, not something else. Because, as scrawny as that boy looked, Renjun was certain he could win a fight if it came down to it.</p><p>“Look,” Yangyang stopped in his tracks to explain, “Jeno already has a driving license. I mean, he got it a bit earlier than legal but- Nevermind! He has one. He can drive you all. I can also just maneuver the car from a distance. But thing is, if Jeno is out of commission, or if there’s too much traffic and I’ll get your car into an accident instead of taking you home safely, I need another driver. You. Plan b. So don’t sweat it, and just do it.”</p><p>Up until now, it still didn’t sound reasonable but it did sound better than before. Not enough to soothe his nervous but it lowered the heat to his simmering panic about general safety regulations regarding these cars. And driving. So much he didn’t even question why Jeno had a driving license already. Just another one of these things.</p><p>“Furthermore, I’ve heard you’re in the sniping unit now so you probably should learn how to drive a motocross bike. But, don’t worry, daddy got your back.” The mechanic basically beamed at these words, like he had just said the most glorious thing ever, more relevant than Moses with the stone plates.</p><p>Renjun made a retching noise. “Don’t ever call yourself that or I’ll shoot you next…”</p><p>“What? Daddy?” Yangyang asked in wonder, laughter dying off when the artist was about to throw a punch already. “Okay, okay, got that. I’ll just get down to the basics then!”</p><p>A few seconds of silence were all that remained of their little walk over to two of the vehicles, one being a few years old car model, the kind you could probably crash into a tree and come out of without a scratch on, and a rather sleek looking motocross bike, just like Yangyang had mentioned some moments ago.</p><p>“Alright!” With a clap of his hands, the garage local pointed at the car first. “We’ll use her to get you familiar with driving before I’ll let you into any of the others. She’s already the third of her kind so I got enough spare parts for her but the Lamborghini?” Yangyang acted like cutting his throat. The reasoning went unsaid, their funds couldn’t possibly cover too much of those. “We’ll get to her later and the keys are in the glovie so you can ask the others to take a drive with you to. For practice or other reasons.” The words were followed by one obnoxious eyebrow wiggle that had Renjun about ready to throw his fist again.</p><p>“The more interesting part is this,” Yangyang picked up again before Renjun could, and patted the bike affectionately, “Looks normal, isn’t. It took me a few months to work that through but it got some sort of stabilizing equipment. Sensors in the shell pick up on the surrounding area of about six feet, and adjust to possibly hindrances. Like, if you’re in the woods, you just need to keep the general direction steady and the stabilizers make sure you avoid crushing into a tree. Not hundred percent effective on branches, twigs, and the likes, but definitely accident safe. So as long as you can drive a bicycle, you can drive this too.”</p><p>At that, Renjun released a bit of a nervous sound. “I never learned that actually…” He had been the weird kid, after all, hadn’t had friends to bike around the neighborhood with and childish hobbies like that were further eradicated with the outlook of money, at least on his parents’ side. And his grandmother had been too old to teach him. Long story short, he had used taxis probably the most to get from one place to another.</p><p>Yangyang only blinked at him for a moment or two, then shrugged it off. “Won’t matter. I also didn’t learn how to drive a bicycle before I got acquainted with these babies.” </p><p>Just like that, the boy jumped into an excourse of responsible driving and protective gear, which was surprising and quite reassuring, considering the easy dismissal of traffic law. Caught in the flow of that, only minutes later did Renjun find himself urged into a racing suit and a helmet on, the former foregone by Yangyang who had only reached for one of the helmets presented on a shelf.</p><p>“I think aside from us only Lucas and Taeil know how to drive one so if you need some tutoring, you can ask them, too.” Seemingly easily, the mechanic pushed the kick stand back and maneuvered the bike towards the exit. “I’ll only show you the basics today but Taeil is your mentor, isn’t he? Might as well be him who takes you on the tiring routes sometime soon.”</p><p>Driving training in itself didn’t seem that unreasonable, but by no stretch of the imagination could Renjun think of Taeil on a bike. It just seemed too unlikely, yet like something he maybe just shouldn’t question, for the piece of his own mind. He could only follow after Yangyang silently, who kept on talking like a blabbermouth, until they were outside and ready to get this started. Another bike was there, meaning this likely wasn’t the happy go lucky first time driving like children on a bicycle with their dads supporting them. Didn’t make this any more fun that it already didn’t sound like.</p><p>“I promise it’s easier than it looks,” Yangyang assured and quickly went about explaining the general handling of the machinery. Then, in an afterthought, added, “It’s probably easier to start with a higher speed for the sake of balance so don’t be shy.”</p><p>That was it, another pat to the back, the bike roaring to life beneath him, and Renjun was definitely not ready to just race down the street. Not that he could protest though, with the cheerful thumbs up he received from Yangyang and the underlying threat of better getting this started soon.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>It was a sentiment Renjun could understand, the reason as to why Johnny and Jaehyun had taken them out for a day (Doyoung had wanted to join but Vision going on a mission had become a hindrance and Yuta was only a tiny bit late). Their final evaluation was only two weeks off, paired to that was the departure of Vision and Jisung’s next eye installment. Like a final parting gift, a decision of those older than them who knew opportunities like these would be rare to come in the future.</p><p>However, the result of it was nearly unbearable. Chenle, the kid he had been introduced to just that day, could be hellishly loud, and the excuse of cursing in Chinese because no one would understand anyways had only lasted for as long as Renjun hadn’t called him out for that.Top that off with his two boyfriends being horribly competitive, which was funny because, for a fact, Jaemin was horrible at aiming. No doubt he would get better at that in no time, just like he did during their training, but for the time being it was rather amusing.</p><p>“I still remember the first day I met you,” Johnny said softly while pulling Renjun up from the observatory bench. The artist had quickly accepted that his aim with a gun was way different to aiming with an arrow, he’d rather not suffer that embarrassment any longer in front of people - he meant Donghyuck - who were less inclined not to make fun of him. At least his boyfriends respected him enough not to do that. </p><p>The teenager released a curious hum as he followed after his mentor to a different shooting lane. Away from prying eyes, it was easier to accept Johnny handing him the sports bow and correcting his stance and posture with miniscule touches. Only when deemed proper enough, did the agent go on, “You’re really different from back then. It suits you better, although the miserably grungy psycho look must have gone well with your art.”</p><p>Renjun pulled out another arrow, and allowed Johnny to correct his posture, before he replied, “Beethoven was said to have resembled a madman in his desire to pursue music after going deaf. Van Gogh was heavily depressive. Maybe the arts and the mentality need to match for that.” He let go of the string, the little whir sounding relaxing to him, a weak resemblance of the guns he had grown so used to. </p><p>“Is that why you paint less?” Johnny asked, a bit too quick to catch on to the core of things, quicker than Renjun would like. It wasn’t that he had stopped doing arts, the records of his time spent at Doyoung’s office or those hours in the evening when Jeno gamed, Jaemin cooked and he sketched were still impressive. Definitely, though, now that he had an explanation for the visions and knew how to control them, art had become less of a means to cope with that and more of something resembling meditation to him.</p><p>Before the Chinese could consider his answer, not to mention shoot a proper shot, a body slammed into him from behind. His hold on the string loosened and the arrow went flying wherever, luckily not hitting anywhere dangerous. Same with the string, actually. And he was about to curse about that when overbleached hair tickled against his jaw and Mr Cuddly nuzzled into his neck like only Jaemin would. </p><p>The funny thing was, it was accompanied by Donghyuck stomping close, complaining, “Renjun! Get rid of those idiots of your boyfriends or I swear I will!”</p><p>“Just grumpy he has no one to cuddle himself,” Jaemin mumbled into Renjun’s neck who, luckily, wasn’t facing Donghyuck because the way that made him grin would have earned him a separate scolding of his own.</p><p>“What did they do, Hyuck?” The artist, instead, asked with an exasperated sigh, only feeling grateful for Johnny taking his bow and silently retreating. Renjun shared the sentiment. Unfortunately, he didn’t belong to the babysitter class but to the bunch of bickering kids. </p><p>“They’re uselessly competitive,” the smart one pointed out, and it was all too easy to figure out the reason behind this little grudge held. Donghyuck sure had the brain to figure out how to shoot a bow properly, calculate the ratio of strength, angle and speed, but the miniscule detail amiss was the fact that he lacked strength to pull the string of the bow Jeno had used. Renjun had tried, too, but it only had resulted in trembling arms and his aim further amiss than it originally was. </p><p>“Am not,” Jaemin bit back from behind Renjun but the older didn’t care about the details. Not when it was him having to deal with a clingy koala attached to his back, leaving him with only an option of waddling around like a penguin as he directed the older past the handful shooting lanes and towards the dining area. He didn’t forget to ask Jeno about his cravings, but he could still sense the content from the younger about being spoiled like that.</p><p>It was funny, in a way, because usually it was Jaemin to heed to their every need but at times like these, when he was clingy and pouty and whiny like a kicked puppy, he easily allowed others to take care of them. Demanded it, even. And Renjun was willing to indulge him this time around, especially with the prospect of their examination approaching fast. </p><p>“Have you decided?” He asked gently, patting a little rhythm with his hands onto the arms wrapped around his middle. The warmth pressed against his back might be overbearing were he not already that used to it from nights spent sandwiched between these two, and sometimes he wondered why it was that way, yet he didn’t exactly want it to change. Since, to him, it was the most comfortable that way.</p><p>
Jaemin hummed in agreement, the cue for them to waddle forwards towards the counter to relay their orders and Renjun handed over his card. If it was like this, ignoring the screeches from Chenle and whines from Donghyuck, it was easy to think of this as a date. More so when Jeno, with the offer of a drink and an excuse for a break, settled next to them at a table. Like that, being able to watch the other three perform, it even felt comfortable not to talk at all. Just bask in the presence of each other and to be able to forget all the stress their life would become in a few days’ time.</p><p>With a sigh, Renjun leaned against Jaemin still clinging onto him, legs stretched out and feet tangled with Jeno’s just so he could feel connected to the both of them, like a bridge between them. Which reminded him, “Say… Between the two of you, what’s going on there?”</p><p>Curiously, he tilted his head back to look at Jaemin, because Jeno’s expression was easier to observe in terms of angle, not to mention easier to anticipate. There was just pure confusion on his features but Jaemin, Jaemin was caught somewhere between guarded and wanting to smile it off, and it was easy to tell for Renjun now, after several months together. So, in reassurance, he squeezed the youngest’s hand still wrapped around his middle. </p><p>“I’m just asking because it gets a bit tiring not to be able to explain exactly how our relationship is like to others when I’m not certain about you.” He was certain about their feelings for him. It was always there, in their smaller and bigger actions. Sure, Jaemin marking him up as if his mission was to create a mosaic of hickies was one thing, but there were also the little things. </p><p>Like Jeno always having their knees touch when sitting next to each other at their kitchen counter, at the table, on the couch. Like Jaemin always preparing a cup of jasmine tea for after he finished his shower. Like Jeno making sure his favorite bath salts were always stocked for one of those days. Like Jaemin pulling out their favorite side dishes for every meal. Sometimes they are easy to overlook but Renjun treasured them nonetheless.</p><p>At times the thing between them felt like a huge elephant, contrasting the ease they treated him with. It had been evident the first time they had ended up in a messy pile of kisses, Renjun sandwiched between the two taller ones and in the spur of the moment, they had nearly kissed each other. Frozen in the last moment, it had only been because of Renjun’s demand that they had their lips meet to and, to put it simple, it had been one of the hottest things he had ever seen. It wasn’t the only time but definitely one of the most prominent ones.</p><p>Within only seconds the atmosphere around them had become suffocating, which Renjun tried to ignore by sipping his drink demonstratively loud, making these horrible slurping sounds he knew they didn’t like. It didn’t aid much, unfortunately, but he gave himself an A+ for effort anyways.</p><p>Before either of them could open their mouths to express their wants or wishes, Yuta - when had he even arrived? - called from the shooting lane, “Hey, love birdies! We made a bet on who pays for dinner so come here to form teams!”</p><p>With a grunt, Renjun put his drink down. “And Donghyuck dared call you competitive,” he huffed in faked annoyance. Honestly, he was just a bit intimidated by Yuta. Not as much as he was by Taeyong but simply as it was, their unit leaders were serious people, superiors. Yuta just managed to blur these lines more easily, the artist had come to realize.</p><p>He was just about to pass by Jeno and approach the designated area, when Jaemin was held back and, by the effect of the hand still holding onto his waist, Renjun too. Additionally, the momentum had him turn around a bit, to Jeno having grabbed Jaemin by the neck, lips a mere inch or so apart, but eventually hesitating. Which the smaller got, honestly. He would have done the same in Jeno’s stead. Would have offered Jaemin one last chance of an out, but he also knew about the youngest’s feelings.</p><p>So the artist didn’t even bother to hide the triumphant grin when the younger bridged the last distance, there was only warmth blooming in his chest upon seeing his two boyfriends engage not on the level of best friends but with the determination of romantic partners. He felt glad, happy and relieved, all the more so because they got that out of the way before their examination, too.</p><p>
From the distance, he heard some faked retching sounds which he generously chose to ignore. This was more important. It wasn’t even a long kiss, just a simple press of lips that split into little smiles, and they were on the way again. </p><p>“Can’t we have one normal day out without” - Donghyuck gestured in the direction of the three, making a disgusted face - “any of this?”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Yuta brushed him off, bright smile on his lips and folding his hands in a way that didn’t look positively promising at all. “Let’s get into teams now. Jaemin’s with me!”</p><p>Chenle, in all shamelessness, snorted at that, and between those two a little bicker broke out that Renjun gladly ignored.</p><p>He only just so noticed Jaehyun calling for Jeno who, a bit unwilling, went to his mentor’s side, and in accordance to that, Renjun already knew to look at Johnny. “I guess I’ll have to stick with splitting you three up, then.”</p><p>“Just don’t let me pull out Jeno’s arrows!” The artist demanded, eliciting a little sound of complaint from his one boyfriend. Above their heads, the three agents settled with the team alignments that actually seemed evened out in it’s own messy way. Donghyuck wasn’t the best but Jeno would get full points anyways. Jaemin and Chenle might just be about the same. And Jisung, Renjun reasoned, at least had the visual cheat code to get them a better aim.</p><p>Either way, at least to them, it was a win-win situation as it was their mentors or leader paying for dinner anyways. Even if he wouldn’t have been bothered by inviting his boyfriends again. For the moment, he was just happy indulging in their free day, and to observe his two idiots being affectionate with each other. As affectionate as they could be when they were also trying to show off at the same time, and beat each other in a game. </p><p>“Idiots,” he muttered, before taking another sip of his iced tea. Next to him, he could sense Johnny grin, and he didn’t even need to hijack to know his mentor was looking at exactly the same two boys. He received a reassuring pat on the shoulder, a little gesture of accomplishment, and Renjun had to admit, it felt nice like this.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>as usual, I remind y'all, I do have <a href="https://twitter.com/starrymeis">twitter</a> and <a href="https://curiouscat.me/starrymeis">curiouscat</a> and you're always welcome to shoot me your ideas of headcanons (which I'd love to transform into little drabbles too, if you ask for it!)</p><p>Hope to see you next time again! Love and comments are always appreciated ❤️</p><p>✧ writing Yangyang was both the funniest part of this chapter and most tiring because it was a bit of a fine line to toe?<br/>✧ I have no idea of what it's like to drive a motorbike (although I do want one TT ) nor a car so I didn't want to indulge that too much but let's just say I think that protective gear was a good idea?<br/>✧ FINALLY we got Nomin together too! Just felt like this was one part of the story I wanted to tie the ends for<br/>✧ days before I finished this, the archery practice for ISAC was released and, as I looked for funny dumb date ideas, archery popped up as well! so I just rolled with that and expanded it to this field trip kinda thing ft Chenle because that kid got too little attention so far, I feel sorry for that!</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Woah, can't believe we finally arrived at the final of this!<br/>When I started publishing this story, I wasn't even done with chapter six and put my every last braincell into doing this before I had even published chapter two. Can't believe I wrote so much so fast... holy!</p><p>First of all, I want to thank everyone who stuck around with this story and me until now and all your encouragements and sweet words!<br/>Following this, I will apologize because I'm not the best at writing endings but I do think I wrapped this story up well, and as a farewell (spoiler!!) there's a lot more OT3 scenes this time around! Please look forward to these in here ❤️</p><p><b> trigger warning </b> - mentions of weapons. non-graphic descriptions of real and fake injuries. drinking but not excessive. driving without a license (kids, don't try that at home).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cautiously Renjun looked down at the tupperware in his hands. It was filled with things Jaemin had cooked as extra during breakfast, and Renjun hadn’t been blind to the worry in the youngest’s eyes but, unlike him, Jaemin and Jeno had seen this happening a few times already. </p><p>Chungha had received a new pair of eyes some months ago and after the testing phase, now it had been Jisung’s turn. It did sound kind of wrong, phrasing it like that, but it didn’t make it untrue. With engineered eyeballs and cables instead of nerves, it might sound the most sci-fi out of anything going on in this agency. Nano machines causing mutations at least was something one could morph into the abstract, leave the scientific part out and it was just a mutation among a few. Artificial eyes weren’t the same.</p><p>It was just their luck that today was some kind of day off, although not for the reasons Renjun did enjoy. They would head over to that same hotel of six months prior today, set everything up for the mock mission, and then the third day would be for their examination. To say it wrenched his guts and flipped them upside down would be an understatement.</p><p>Only that it felt wrong to just go without saying goodbye. A few would accompany them, either members they already knew or some that were still unknown to Renjun like Sooyoung, which was funny, because he was quite certain she did belong to this branch. He had just never seen her around after.</p><p>“Ge, I can hear you overthinking even until here,” a voice called from inside the room and it was finally enough to startle Renjun out of his mind. A bit surprised he looked at Chenle, priorly hidden behind the curtains, and took in that he must not have been the only one wanting to look after the operated.</p><p>Now it was too late to escape - not like he had wanted to, just, maybe a bit more time to prepare himself? - and he put on his best smile as he entered the room on the ward. Hyoyeon was there, but he had already seen her, busy with checking the machines and he gave her a little bow she just brushed off.</p><p>“How are you doing, Jisungie?” He asked, careful not to stand in Hyoyeon’s way as he maneuvered around the room to put the box with food on the little table next to the bed. </p><p>“They didn’t manage to make him any smarter despite working on his brain but-” Chenle was quick to shut up when receiving a sharp glare from the doctor. The boy immediately put on a sulking expression that definitely fit him better after. Defying in his own way.</p><p>Renjun directed his gaze at Jisung, instead, noting that the boy at least didn’t look worse for wear. Ruddy around from the eyes which was caused by obvious reasons, to pop out an eyeball and replace it with a new one couldn’t possibly be easy on the surrounding skin area. Even when it gave him the rather adorable look of a baby who had just cried itself to sleep.</p><p>“It’s not that bad, hyung,” the youngest made an effort to calm his worries. It must be a practiced line at this point, because in a way Renjun could understand. He had said the same to countless people after his spacing outs before, despite never feeling fine. The older he had become the more disturbing his visions could turn out to be, and he still had needed to act nonchalant around strangers.</p><p>For that reason Renjun wouldn’t be able to forgive himself in case he missed the signs of distress. Extra attention was put into analyzing all of Jisung’s expression, the innocence of his age, the off mixture of paleness and ruddiness that comes from exhaustion and strain at once, the earnestness in his eyes, of actually meaning these words. It was way more honest than Renjun feels any of his looks at that time had been, so the smile growing on his own face grew along with the acknowledgement of sincerity.</p><p>“Don’t keep it to yourself if you’re in pain,” the artist demanded softly, out of care. Letting it go to far and trying to shoulder pain that would and up being too much was by no means comfortable, he’d rather not try the younger to go through that.</p><p>Across the bed, he shot Chenle a look, telling him to heed to these words too. If not the other members, he at least knew the other Chinese wouldn’t be coming with them for the examination, part of that reasoning being that these two were most likely to become partners later on too. From what he had been told, at least. </p><p>Admittedly, it also made sense. Chenle might be around less and doing his training with Vision, faulted on whatever political reasons Renjun hadn’t paid much of a mind too, but these two had chemistry. Not to mention they might be the last trainees to be left over now, expecting neither Renjun nor Jaemin were kicked from their sort of group project.</p><p>“I’ll take care of him.” The foreigner promised and at least in his eyes did Renjun find what he was looking for. Then, with a little frown, he came to another realization. He was familiar with all Specials, to an extent. He had seen Mark grown up under Johnny’s surveillance and had grown familiar with chess patterns thanks to Donghyuck, and Jaemin’s room had once served him as inspiration for a drawing.<br/>
Even Dejun he could explain himself, because that guy spent more time sleeping than awake, apparently. But it didn’t explain as to why Chenle felt so closed off to him. It made him frown lightly, just for a moment that was quickly broken by Jisung tugging at his sleeve to call for his attention. “Everything alright, hyung?”</p><p>“Yeah, sure, just… nervous, I guess,” Renjun reasoned, apparently well enough if based on the understanding smile Jisung granted him.</p><p>“You’ll do well, hyung. I’m sure you can do this with ease.” The youngest spoke up, eyes curving more easily as he smiled now that they were swollen red. It made him look more adorable and at least for the moment Renjun gave up his tension to admire that by pinching those cute cheeks lightly.</p><p>“I’ll treat you to a meal when you’re better,” he promised, ignoring the protests from Chenle’s side because he, along with vision, would have to leave soon after this. Renjun just gave his fellow Chinese a thumbs up, not bothering to give in to the complaints. He’d need to leave in a bit anyways, the time he currently had to spend bought for him thanks to his boyfriends having offered to pack his bags. “Do your best.”</p><p>The artist paid the two one last sincere smile, and a little wave, yelling his farewell to Hyoyeon as he left the ward. Leaving made him feel bad, even worse with the nervousness piling up with the approaching doomsday all the more. Fingers crossed Jeno and Jaemin packed his clothes well.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Unsurprisingly, they hadn’t been too great at doing just that but Renjun didn’t exactly have it in him to mind when he got to cuddle into Jaemin’s sweater rather than his own late in the evening as it currently was. With everyone being busy preparing for them, it had become easier for them to let loose on their tension, their days feeling more like a prolonged date than the approaching end of their training days. Was this how idols felt before debut? It sure seemed messy.</p><p>At the moment he wasn’t even certain whether he welcomed the leisure time or despised it, for the many thoughts running through his mind were not stopped by the task of not losing in a spar despite his slim chances of winning. He’d also much rather chase after Jeno through the woods, more focused on breathing properly and not tripping than his busy mind.</p><p>Alas, he was seated at the outside pool, Jaemin’s beloved adidas pants unbuttoned on the sides just so he could lower his legs into the water. Neither outright warm nor cold, it was just soothing to feel the little waves lap against his skin. When the two had told him to wait out here, they hadn’t told him why, had just taken off, and with all this time spent having to wait, Renjun wasn’t certain he wouldn’t throw a chair at either of them upon sight.</p><p>Actually, he was even tempted to just cheat by hijacking Jaemin’s sight. The younger wouldn’t even notice but the warning of not doing so earlier still weighed heavily on his conscience. It had him wrinkle his nose in distaste upon being so blatantly ordered around. By someone younger than him. Who wasn’t even around currently.</p><p>He already considered maybe just having withdrawal symptoms after the earlier hours spent in his two boyfriends’ company that seemed to be all the more amiss now that he had no reason not to enjoy it. It tired him out, more so than he would want to admit to, and not like he wouldn’t either. Instead, he kicked the water instead of another person, and huffed, “Stupid Jaemin.”</p><p>More so than steps, or words, or noise, it was the way the water droplets stayed afloat in the air that notified him of Jaemin’s return. Because why else would water refuse gravity unless Renjun had already given in to insanity and was going crazy due to the tension that anticipation held within.</p><p>“Why am I stupid?” The younger whined and the lack of control over his powers, still, was evident by the whole spray of water hitting Renjun rather than a few single droplets. He squeaked in surprise, managing just so to protect his face, and already jumped up to chase after his boyfriend. But Jaemin only laughed and set off first, gaining more distance on him because of the older having to put on his slippers first.</p><p>It was a short chase, less than a handful minutes or so could have possibly passed, but with the speed they headed around it was no surprise they were a bit of a distance from the hotel already. Even before Jaemin came to a halt Renjun already slowed down, having caught sight of Jeno ahead, of the little lights illuminating the ground, so he couldn’t help himself. Curiosity and carefulness ruled out the need to slap his love over the back of his head.</p><p>What he eventually came to face, though, was one beautiful sight. Little candles had been set up in glasses on the floor, making a vague shape around a blanket spread out. Jeno was already settled there, and Jaemin was just about to, having to wrestle with his shoes first, but had also fallen onto his behind when Renjun eventually arrived.</p><p>Breathtaking might just describe it the best, not only the sight of it, but the effort he knew must have been put into this. To get this all set up, to have everyone keep mum about it, to prepare it all without him noticing. It still had him slap Jaemin on the head as he left behind his slippers and crawled onto the blanket too, dropping his head into Jeno’s lap much like the cat he felt like at the moment.</p><p>“You’re the best,” Renjun muttered, not feeling like doing much else than hogging Jeno’s warmth at the current moment. One might think he was touch starved when they had even spent this afternoon in bed, cuddling, watching a movie. Rather than maybe doing a short work out as they were likely supposed to.</p><p>“Not fair!” The youngest whined, with a pout on his lips Renjun didn’t even need to look for to know it was existent. Yet at the same time, Jaemin moved in to lay behind him, head rested on Jeno’s knee and arm loosely wrapped around the smaller’s middle. “You always only pay attention to Jeno!”</p><p>It might sound like it but it wasn’t spoken in bad humor, and they all knew. Because Jaemin got enough attention of his own, too, because Jaemin would get himself the attention he thought he deserved whenever he craved for it, because Jaemin might just be the most content out of the three of them just observing their happiness.</p><p>“Ya!” Jeno scolded with faked seriousness, flicking his fingers against Jaemin’s forehead. “Your empty brain weighs heavy on my shin.” Nevertheless, the fighter didn’t push either of them off. Only motivated Renjun to turn onto his back which he, with some grumbled protests, also did. Less comfortable than on his side but okay. He only realized the meaning behind that when Jeno signed upwards, and he was able to see countless little lights above. Put simply, it was mesmerizing.</p><p>“Yuta was curious about you,” Jaemin said next to him, silently, as if their moment was suddenly fragile, “I mean, I think it was Sicheng-hyung, but, you know. He stumbled across an older interview with you and it said you liked the stars so here we are.”</p><p>There was a fragile line between joy and careful prodding, something that was felt more than heard. Renjun got it, though. They had planned this, had hoped to make him happy, they just weren’t certain it was the perfect idea. To have dates like these, normal dates, it was a rarity for them, given the circumstances. But even without his fascination with the stars and astronomy, he was certain it would be a perfect date. </p><p>Jaemin shifted around him, until no longer resting on Jeno’s shin but wrapped around Renjun’s middle, head put on his stomach and with the same ease breathing came with living, the older brushed his fingers through the dyed hair. It took only seconds before Jeno did the same, fingers tracing around his face and his hair, and while the artist was still looking at the stars shining with a clarity he couldn’t expect from the urban area, he couldn’t imagine a moment like this to be any more perfect.</p><p>He wasn’t sure whether it made the moment more delicate than it had already been or more steady, something that couldn’t be shattered no matter how sensible it looked. He only knew it was perfect, felt perfect, and it eased his mind of what was to come tomorrow. It made him smile, as he looked up at Jeno who was already gazing at him, and tugged at Jaemin’s hair to call for attention, as he declared, “I love you. No matter what, I love you.”</p><p>The younger’s eyes crinkled and fingers pressed into his side as a sign of confirmation. It was the first time Renjun had spoken them with all his senses alert, unlike that dazed morning before, that he acknowledged it consciously and said it out loud like that. The words alone were enough to make his own heart blossom with warmth but as Jeno’s smile softened into a more gentle expression, and his eyes took a serious glint, it felt like the little organ might burst soon. “I love you too, Renjun, Jaemin.”</p><p>There was only one thing amiss, yet it wasn’t, because it took a single second for the youngest to crawl upwards, nosing against Renjun’s jaw before pressing a little kiss to the sensitive skin. “Don’t leave me out of this,” Jaemin wailed, which was only met by a protesting and startled sound from the fighter’s side, any possible response cut off as the Special, too, mumbled, “I love you both more than words could ever express.”</p><p>Renjun wanted to wrinkle his nose in detest at the cheesy comment that was so utterly fitting for the blond. Only that any reaction died before it could took place when met with Jaemin’s sincere orbs. It was too much, within seconds it became too much, his heart felt like bursting, exploding into a firework of feelings and affection. Too fast, too much, too intense for him, so he couldn’t himself when he pulled the taller down just so he could hide at his neck and get a moment to calm himself down. </p><p>The usual sweet scent of  strawberries Jaemin’s shower gel held was overlaid by the wooden depth of Jeno’s sweater, for at one point they had just stopped caring about whose clothes they wore. They all were aware of what belonged to whom but homewear and training clothes long since carried little meaning of ownership. It was comforting, in this very special way only home could be. A little piece of sanctuary they could carry everywhere.</p><p>“I think we broke him,” Jaemin joked directed at Jeno, words dripping with affection but it was that bit of humor that sufficed for Renjun to pull himself together. He landed a little punch into the younger’s side, aware that the gravitational armoring long since didn’t work on him anymore, a little gesture of trust, subconscious proof. Maybe also just caused by the vulnerability of this situation. </p><p>“He’ll suffocate too, if you don’t move,” the fighter pointed out carefully, softly nudging at the youngest’s shoulder who took the hint without complaint. With ease, they returned to their previous positions, and fingers picked up their work again. “We also packed some food, if you want any. Mostly sweets, though, thanks to a certain someone.”</p><p>The assault had Renjun smile in amusement, not even surprised by that. At least he could trust in Jeno to get him more than sugar cubes to munch on. “Maybe a bit later,” he offered, and reached his free hand up to intertwine his fingers with another set of heavily calloused ones. Just for the moment, he was content with this.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Within the span of over a year spent within the agency, Renjun had to admit, the dumbest he felt might as well be right now, with a string of dental floss tied around the last knuckle of his pinky. It was loose enough for him to slip it off before it could possibly cut through his flesh or something but there was enough tension on the string overall for him not to notice in case of someone approaching.<br/>
In theory, he had a spectacular spot. The same warehouse, nearly the same arrangement, he had found his spot on the second floor on some containers, pressed flat against the metal just so he would not be as easily found. Which was already hard enough in first place, thanks to the angle, but with the floss wrapped around some applications, low on the floor so stepping onto it was likely, he would still be notified of someone approaching no matter how quiet. In best case, it wouldn’t be a necessity.</p><p>In worst case… He didn’t actually want to think about it, not when he shuffled his weight one last time before allowing his vision to flicker out. He had been warned not to try cheating because that’s not something he could do on a real job either, when a tiny bit of awareness signaled him he didn’t even have lots of people in the vicinity. Side-effect of this whole localization training with Johnny and Jaemin.</p><p>The younger was currently sneaking between the containers, and for a moment Renjun couldn’t help wonder whether the gear felt as heavy for the blond as it did for him. Considering they had the same rules as the previous time, with fighting basically guaranteed and weapons being allowed for usage, since they couldn’t possibly shoot at each other with real bullets, they had resonated to the reflectors and nerve stimulators again. So basically, the war version of lasertag all over again. With the suffocating gear included.</p><p>Only the rules had been changed a bit. Or rather, amplified. It was but another version of capture the flag again, only with some extra rules that had Renjun cheering inside because he did not need to be directly involved in any of this. For the beginning, that was, because they couldn’t know whether it would still be two versus one each again or not. And sooner or later the adults, too, would catch on to their plan.</p><p>Namely that Jeno only did have the distractory flag - which was actually a dog tag - while the real one was with Renjun currently, strapped around his neck and tugged into his shirt so it wouldn’t be visible immediately. Thing is, the other team wouldn’t know where their real tag was, with whom, and neither did they know about the others. Accordingly, they had settled their strategy. </p><p>The most obvious result for their team, too, would be for Jeno to carry the real one. Simply because Jeno, with all his abilities and strength, had the highest possibility of being able to keep it safe. The second best would be Jaemin, merely because of his stronger defense. Renjun highly doubted anyone would suspect him to have it, especially when he was more prone to be the one to look for it, with his slighter frame and higher chance at stealth. Instead, he had turned it around, and now he could only hope it would buy them some time.</p><p>His boyfriends had praised the strategy, but he didn’t trust them one hundred percent on this. Not because he thought of it as fake reassurance but because for them, the line between personal and business was blurred. The two could have accepted his suggestion merely for the sake of encouragement too, even when he had asked whether they had any better suggestions in terms of strategy.<br/>
According to Renjun’s thinking, and he had trained that a lot thanks to Mark, the opposing strategy would have a lot to with who they were up against. They couldn’t communicate without problems, for one, because it was a challenge in case any of them were preoccupied, and for another, the additional noise would draw too much attention. A hindrance in Jeno’s case but that’s why Jaemin was taking care of the stealth part, allowing Renjun to sneak glances where he shouldn’t, and to guide Jaemin where he thought necessary. </p><p>But it did, once again, similar to when Jaemin and Jeno had been the ones to do their mock mission, feel like watching a movie. This time he was involved but he also wasn’t, could only allow his sight to go around as much as Jaemin’s vision field allowed him to, and to pay attention to all the little details the younger might miss. It was like a thriller, the excitement bubbling in his own stomach, the rush of adrenaline as he was waiting for more, increasing by the second, and all he could do was focus on Jaemin anyways. Because, like in a film, he wasn’t given more than what he was allowed to see, less even, lacking the sound aiding him to detect anything more.</p><p>On the contrary, he had his ears strained to figure out just when it was Jeno’s turn to run into someone, Jeno who was willingly acting as a bait to lure others out. The thought was nice, the idea well meant, but Renjun felt worry gnaw on his nerves regardless because even to a Superioris taking on two people or possibly more couldn’t possibly be easy in a prolonged fight, and when of equal caliber. What their family of mutants had gained in strength was easily made up by others like Ten in terms of agility, until it was a match of stamina that spoke of easier victory if one side carried more people on them. </p><p>Altogether, it did seem like a battle or nerves and wit, the kind that was more stressful to the mind than body, and Renjun personally was not certain it was the sort of game he would manage to play for long. Not without needing some time to vent his pent up stress, after it, at least. A thought that quickly left his mind when he noticed a movement in Jaemin’s field of vision, attention quickly drawn there instead. </p><p>“To your right,” he breathed into the little microphone he could carelessly keep close to his mouth, because he was lying on a container without having someone else punch it out of his face. Which sure would add to the looks they were definitely sporting after this anyways. </p><p>Jaemin must have noticed too but rather than seeking for attention and going after the other person, there was a light shift in vision but by the effortless withdrawal, Renjun realized with a bit of delay that Jaemin was hovering. Freaking hovering. Which he would have scolded him for usually, to focus on that rather than more important tasks, but currently he admitted it was just about right, a perfect way to escape getting caught. No noise, no sudden moves, no awkwardly stepping onto something. </p><p>Certain their enemy in game would no longer notice him, the younger peeked around the corner first, to check for backup, and then after the other person. Renjun couldn’t recognize the person despite their white hair, but Jaemin must have. Before the sniper could even protest, the gravity manipulator had rushed forth and trapped the stranger, albeit that was something that was hard to observe, all the more when he couldn’t feel any of these sensations accompanying it. </p><p>What he could see, moments later, was a tied up boy, hands attached to the ankles rather than each other and fingers perfectly trapped to disable wriggling free. Jaemin didn’t even bother asking a question, only stuffed some piece of fabric into stranger boy’s mouth but the actually amusing part, and Renjun nearly laughed at that, was the way the boy started to hover up into the air just to get dumped onto one of the containers. The rattling sound echoed throughout the hall, prompting Jaemin to make a dash for it. </p><p>The artist allowed the hijacking to flicker out at that, but his sight immediately zoomed in to where he could see the boy laying on top of the container, vulnerable to sight unlike most that were still circling on the ground. There was only one additional person that caught his attention, and it had the artist nearly grinning in amusement. Lucas really must have taken a liking to sneaking up on people from above.</p><p>Before the Superioris could put any of his ideas to action, though, Renjun had already aimed his visor at the older. There was no bullet to be seen, obviously, as it was laser based, but he could hear the grunt the fighter released at the faked pain of a gunshot wound to his abdomen. It would resonate for another quarter hour or so, as it was based on their electronics and not their actual pain defiance, meaning he would have to go for another shot at that time. It only unsettled him that Lucas and the stranger were all of the people he could see out there.</p><p>Jaemin had already checked on the other boy for the dog tag, resulting in empty hands. Lucas, too, would not possibly have it. He was too obvious an aim, more so even than Jeno, would show it off rather than guard it well, but Renjun still checked. No green chain around the neck. </p><p>“Lucas is out. Two down,” he whispered into the microphone, apparently just in time, for there was noise from Jeno’s corner of the hall. Renjun didn’t need to check, whoever had encountered the fighter would get stalled, and if the necklace was with either of those down there, Jeno would also take care of it. He only mourned the angle that blocked any and all sight there, meaning he couldn’t even figure out who else they were up against.</p><p>Logically speaking, Doyoung was out, too busy with the surveillance and recording of their happenings. Taeil too, doing their team mentality assessment. The kids like Yangyang, Chenle, and Jisung wouldn’t be included, and Haechan had broken his arm just a weak prior, meaning he was also out. And still, even like that, there were more possibilities to this than Renjun liked, not to mention what other hidden aces they might pull out of their sleeves. </p><p>Silently as possible, he shifted in his position to see whether anyone had made it up to the second floor just yet. They hadn’t been given a blueprint or the likes, but Renjun was quite certain there was only one staircase up and so far he hadn’t noticed anyone there just yet. Which wouldn’t mean much anyways when he spent half his time observing Jaemin anyways. Neither when he wasn’t certain what equipment the other team had chosen for this. </p><p>Twelve minutes to go and he’d have to look for Lucas again, and before he let his sight fade out, he focused on Lucas again, finding him in still the same spot, looking a bit drained by now. A bit of a downside of the neuro-stimulators, ways better than a real bullet anyways.</p><p>Jaemin was still on the move, silently making his way to where the other team had come from. In theory, nobody would need to carry the dog tag, they might as well have hung them up somewhere, it was merely likelier someone wore it. Guarding it was a facilitated task when it was linked to guarding oneself, whereas leaving it around in the open would definitely mean it could be more easily snatched away. Just another reason as to why influencing gravity was perfect for the job.</p><p>It was only too unsettling when nothing much happened for minutes. There was still the noise of Jeno’s fight echoing through his ears, but from the sound alone it was hard to tell what was going on. An off mixture, of seeing what he shouldn’t, hearing what was distant, and feeling nothing but the hard metal digging into his bones. </p><p>Anyone else might just think that it couldn’t be possibly that stressful when nothing much was going on but to Renjun that was exactly the part he liked about a good thriller. The peaceful sequences that would lead up to the actual excitement and, this time, he reasoned, it wasn’t too different. Seven minutes to go for Lucas, Jeno still fighting, Jaemin’s field of vision being uncomfortably empty.</p><p>It was exactly at the moment he least suspected it that he felt the tug on his pinky that propelled him out of the younger’s sight at the moment he caught on to a movement. Just their luck they encountered someone at the same time, making it harder to strategize right now. </p><p>Quietly he rolled onto his back, leaving his rifle standing for the moment in favor of the handgun he had already readied earlier, just in case, there wasn’t much he could do right now. If someone had made it up here, it meant they were up for a similar strategy as Renjun had chosen, meaning also the possibility was high Jaemin was currently facing off with whoever took care of the necklace, too. </p><p>His first instinct told him to just take off to Jaemin, to combine the dog tags to find the two same digits they’d have to forward to Doyoung right then. It wouldn’t be a too hard job, he could just jump down from the balcony onto another row of containers and use the same method as Lucas to get around faster, by climbing the metal piles rather than sneaking through them and getting lost.</p><p>At the same time, not only would it draw attention but also was there the slightest possibility the tag was actually with whoever had just intruded on him, meaning it was better to hold off for a few moments. Filtering out the noises of the other two’s fights, the resound of bodies hitting metal, was a deliberate effort put into finding out where whoever was out for him was. He nearly missed it, the little clicking sound of a device, but it was all he needed.</p><p>Quietly as possible he slid his feet across the metal to get to the edge of it. It was a game of wits, not to get caught first, and a risk he had to take. Luckily, he was not off against some giant again, rather, a petite looking woman. Only he knew better than to underestimate that situation.</p><p>His eyes scanned across her neck first, her collar giving away more of it than his, making it easier to see she didn’t carry the green chain he was looking for. So far, he couldn’t see anyone else in the near vicinity, which didn’t mean much just yet. He was still careful as he jumped down the containers, the noise inevitably caused by his weight colliding with the ground alerting her well enough. </p><p>In this moment, Renjun really had to thank Johnny for having trained his reactionary speed well enough. The woman was about to go in for the brawl by the time he had already aimed the muzzle at her leg. An obvious outcome, with him standing victorious as she crumbled down.</p><p>Nice in theory, it didn’t last in reality. Pain blossomed across his back, nearly enough to make him pass out for a second, vision flickering instead of going black. Fuzzy images of a fist approaching Jaemin’s face but before he could see whether the hit connected, he was back to himself. His body must have acted on instinct, partly turned around in his fall to recognize Mark as the one approaching him and he, too, was void of the necklace.</p><p>Not exactly his proudest aim but Renjun did manage to land a shot that would buy them time, and if only by preventing Mark from taking the dog tag from him. “Fuck,” he grunted in pain, rolling onto his stomach to ease the tension put on his back. A few feet away, he could hear Mark giggling, then wincing, fingers clutched around his side.</p><p>“Fuck indeed,” the older pressed out, “Why did Johnny teach you to aim so well?”</p><p>The woman on Renjun’s side seemed to find it amusing as well, affection seeping into her voice as she pointed out, “We all know Johnny likes to go overboard.” Then, like an afterthought, she added, “Might be the wrong time to introduce myself but I’m Seungwan. Nice to meet you finally.”</p><p>“Renjun,” Renjun mumbled, raising his hand in a silent greeting. Considering the circumstances, he still had it better than Lucas who was all alone up there, because he had someone to talk to, now that they were all more or less immobilized. Since he had never gotten shot before, it was hard to draw a semblance to a real wound, so all he knew was that the faked one sure hurt as hell. Amplified only by exactly where Mark had managed to hit him.</p><p>It was nearly blindingly awful when he so much as moved a little, and it had stars dancing in his vision as he still reached for the communication device to active it. “Jaemin… Wrap this up quickly. Get the chain and come here, I can’t move.”</p><p>Whatever he had said, it must have been quite amusing to Mark who broke into another fit of giggles. Some words in English were only picked up by Seungwan but easily drowned out by the sudden screech of metal against stone or against more metal. It was deafening not in volume but how awful it sounded, like that things teachers would do with the blackboard as they scratched against it with their nails. </p><p>They all made a sound of distress at that, and Renjun honestly wished he could rub his ears but that seemed to be a matter of impossibility when it had already been tiring enough to get his words through to the youngest. He couldn’t even check on what Jeno was doing right now, which was all the more bothersome but something he had to deal with for the moment.</p><p>At this point, it would become a race against time, between Jaemin getting the necklace and Lucas getting up but, honestly, Renjun only wished for the pain in his back to subside already.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Little candles that had originally floated in the pool, stuck in small glasses, were carefully lined up along the longer side of it, away from their group of people, but even like that, Renjun just knew they wouldn’t last for long. Not with how much the water was sloshing around as Lucas and a guy he had gotten to know as Kunhang were playing wrestling in the water and now amount of whistling and shouting from Kun’s side could stop them.</p><p>It was a funny side. It was so utterly peaceful, made them look like just a bunch of friends throwing a party, with Johnny manning the grill and Seungwan giving away more beer than she probably should, with everyone just chattering around. But as soon as someone looked at them in more detail, at the way Kunhang’s back was bruised all over from having been thrown against the containers thanks to Jaemin, or how Kun had to hold his shoulder every once in a while, it kind of ruined the picture of innocence.</p><p>Originally, Renjun too, had just wanted to cuddle into bed and sleep the stress of but when one had two stronger boyfriends and one of them - Jaemin - had just thrown him over the shoulder, there really wasn’t much left to protest. He hadn’t even been allowed to change and that he might hold against the younger the most. A grudge he still held even as he was handed another bottle of beer by the culprit, as if that would make up for it. It didn’t.</p><p>When Renjun shot him a, albeit faked, glare, the youngest also seemed to change tactics, and whined, “Jeno!” Which wasn’t bad, only the shaking the fighter’s shoulder which, thus, resulted in jostling Renjun trapped in an embrace too and that was honestly uncomfortable.</p><p>With a kick against Jaemin’s shin he called for attention and declared, “You’re forgiven. But I’ll take your pajamas tonight!”</p><p>The bright smile on that handsome face should be declared a whole offense to the heart, the artist reasoned, but his mind changed as fast as Jaemin’s tactics when the younger’s face morphed into a grin. “Not a problem. I can just sleep naked then!”</p><p>Jeno must have senses his wish to go after Jaemin for the grip around Renjun’s middle tightened just in time with the smaller getting ready to jump off the deck chair to chase after that idiot of a boyfriend and possibly push him into the pool. “Calm down, Renjunnie,” the fighter smiled, reassuring in one moment and attacking the other, when he continued, “If anything, all of us would-”</p><p>Before Jeno so much as could end the thought, Renjun had already slammed his elbow into his side, cutting him off effectively. Truth or lie, he really didn’t want to have such a conversation out in public, especially not when half that public was toeing on the lines of tipsiness and intoxication, and surely all too ready to jump at any chance of making jokes about them. Not feeding the cannons meant nothing could be fired. It was just fine like that.</p><p>In synch, they moved back on the chair a bit so Jaemin could sit down, too, sideways to face them, and his hand easily found Jeno’s and Renjun’s resting on the latter’s stomach, their entanglement of two quickly becoming three. It was so easy, always so easy with these two, and Renjun allowed himself to drown in the momentary peace of it. Simultaneously he lifted his new bottle to his lips and gave their fingers a little squeeze. Moments like these, he really enjoyed them too much.</p><p>But surrounded by a good dozen other people, it wasn’t peace that would last them long, as became evident when the blond one Jaemin had tied up during their mock mission was calling for exactly him. Hesitation morphed the youngest’s face as he looked over, and then back at his boyfriends. Renjun decided to make quick of the decision, pressing his heel into the other’s back to push him off the chair. “I got you clinging to my back all night long. Let me enjoy my freedom while I can.”</p><p>There was an evident need to protest from Jaemin’s side that was quickly halted when Taeil, with the speed of a flash, was next to them and tugged at Jeno’s arm. “I’m not gonna lose against Jaehyun because you’re being lovey dovey here, Jeno.”</p><p>“Guess that’s my call,” the fighter pointed out, pressing a quick kiss to Renjun’s head before allowing himself to be dragged away. So the smaller only shot the younger on the floor a look to question what he was still doing there, on the ground and with him, when Jaemin could already be having fun with others. It was a peck on the cheek this time, and the Special was gone.</p><p>It was a header into freedom that Renjun had initiated himself but when he had told Jaemin to go, he hadn’t expected Jeno to leave, too, and now he felt cold all on his own. He allowed his gaze to travel around for a moment, catching Jeno indeed caught in a round of water polo between Taeil, Lucas and him on one side, and Jaehyun, Yuta and Kunhang on the other. Nobody seemed to follow the rules but to the Chinese, it was more interesting to see his mentor seemingly being set on fire in his eagerness to win. Sicheng was caught in the middle of it, sitting on the poolside and counting points which was only made all the more entertaining by the amount of penalty points Yuta got for being a flirt. </p><p>Looking at them all like that, it was obvious who had taken the worse of fighting. An ugly little reminder, because Renjun’s pain had subsided after the quarter hour but Kunhang, more so than Jaehyun, might take weeks until all the bruises had faded. Kun would be troubled with his shoulder for a while longer and Renjun was certain he had seen Sicheng limp quite heavily while walking around.</p><p>“You’ll get used to it,” a voice called out next to him, beer bottle clinking with another, and Renjun didn’t even look at Mark from where his gaze was still resting on the group of people he now belonged to. “It’s shocking only at first to see how many wounds we can carry. I’m not sure it’s healthy but we all stopped noticing it at one point. Injuries happen every day, we just run a higher risk for them.”</p><p>“How many do you have?” Renjun asked, without thinking much of it. The question had been just one that had popped into his mind and regretted the moment he felt Mark’s gaze weighing heavy on his shoulders. </p><p>“We don’t always get injured during our line of work.” It was enough of an answer and yet it wasn’t. Mark patted his shoulder compassionately, telling him not to worry about it, but in that moment the artist couldn’t help wonder how much more he didn’t knew about this new family of his. Before, he had thought he had seen Mark grow up to an extent, had him seen pop up in visions more often than should be normal, had never questioned it. Now he did, and the older must sense it, squeezing at his shoulder slightly.</p><p>Silence settled between them, until something caught his attention. Johnny, standing behind the grill, was signing him to come over, and Mark must have noticed too for letting go of him. Renjun still made an effort to give him a sincere smile, patting his knee before he left to meet up with his mentor on the outskirts of chaos. Seungwan and Taeyong were there, too, but evidently more focused on beer and meat respectively. Or both. </p><p>“You’ll end up like last time if you don’t eat something,” the older pointed out with a shameless smile, awaking a mixed reaction from the teen. For one, he definitely felt embarrassed at the reminder of what all he had forgotten some several weeks prior, of all the awkward mess he might have started, and for another, there was affection blooming inside him, for being looked after like that from someone else than the two he was living with. </p><p>Simple as that, and somehow Renjun found himself being fed pieces of meat fresh off the grill and before any other hungry mouths looking to be fed could steal it. With the younger chewing and Johnny checking the food, it was silent between them for a while. The easy kind, between people getting along well and not necessarily feeling the need to talk just yet.</p><p>Regardless of that, the taller spoke up again after some minutes, “I’m not supposed to say that but…” Vaguely, he gestured at Taeyong who, to put it blunt, was wasted. He did look like a lightweight, though, so Renjun wasn’t surprised, and Seungwan was still pouring the unit leader more. “You were quite successful today. The three of you put an effort and it’s shown. Your strategy, and you, proved that it worked so even if he sounds a bit cranky tomorrow, you really did well, Renjun. You’ll end up as a good team.”</p><p>It was weird, to be complimented so directly, made his stomach feel queasy in all the best ways. He was used to having his paintings complimented, his artistic approach, not himself and his thoughts. It was enough to make him feel awkward for a moment and all the more relieved for the moment Jaemin came crashing into him, shirt wet and dripping, pressed into his side with some overdone smooches incoming. Renjun had long since given up dodging these.</p><p>“Who’s my little cutie, who’s-” Being called cute was one thing, the implication he might be small another, so Renjun definitely didn’t regret stomping down on Jaemin’s foot. It didn’t explain why the youngest was behaving so exaggeratedly at the moment, but Johnny nodding into blondie’s direction who held a clear glass bottle might be. And the alcohol lingering in his breath.</p><p>“Maybe you should get him into bed,” Johnny recommended with a tender smile. It wasn’t unreasoned, it was pretty late already, they had started this celebration-slash-farewell party when the sun was already setting and enough time had progressed since then.</p><p>“Would rather not,” Renjun answered, and contradicted his own words as he wrapped his arm around Jaemin’s waist to support him. For a moment he looked at Jeno, still caught up in the game of waterball and furthermore trapped there by Taeil, than back at his sober mentor. “Will you tell him?”</p><p>“Jeno?” Johnny checked, and with the artist nodding, promised, “I will. Now go, off with you.”</p><p>“Thank you.” The younger smiled, and he meant it, but not only for that but also for telling him the result and taking that worry off his shoulders, for looking out for him and the others in all of this, for being a reliable pillar he was slowly growing attached to. Johnny must have gotten it without needing to explain further, based on his smile, and shushed them off once more.</p><p>Which only started the beginning of Renjun’s draining journey up to their room, with an overly affectionate Jaemin clinging to his side and nearly sending them stumbling more often than just once. Arriving at their quarters was challenge enough but getting the other into the shower was a hassle, and eventually only his threat of not cuddling with someone smelling of chlorine and alcohol was enough to do the trick. At this point, it was all Renjun could do himself to brush his teeth and change into Jaemin’s pajamas, staying true to his earlier words.</p><p>The pants were too long on him, which he blamed on absurdly long legs most of all, and he might have fit three times into the shirt he wore now but that was just so Jaemin at the same time, he really didn’t have it in him to mind. Much less when he basically had to coerce the younger to at least put on underwear while Renjun himself already climbed onto the bed, holding his hands out for the towel. “I’ll dry your hair. Get here.”</p><p>Leaning against the headboard, Jaemin on his stomach between his legs, chin resting on his thigh, it was easy to ruffle through the wet hair with the cloth until there was no more excess liquid to be absorbed. The dyed strands still felt moist but no longer to the point of risking a cold with the AC on, so Renjun let the younger off. Their posture adjusted only marginally, Jaemin moving further up to rest his head against the smaller’s hip, and Renjun pulled the blanket up higher to keep them warm.</p><p>He was already considering to grab Jeno’s book from the nightstand when said one arrived, evidently putting an effort into being silent when entering the room. It was such a tender gesture, Renjun couldn’t help himself when he waved the younger closer and greeted him with a little kiss, having to pull the fighter in since his own position was locked in place by Jaemin’s weight.</p><p>“Go shower, I’ll wait,” he whispered and pressed another quick kiss to Jeno’s lips who seemed content with the promise of just that. Then again, Renjun, too, would be obedient if it meant cuddles with his two loves. It just felt easier to do something when there was something to look forward to at the end of it. Especially if it was cuddling each other into sleep.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“Renjun,” Jeno called from the car that was assigned to be theirs, for ever the gentleman he was he had already taken their bags downstairs and put them in the trunk. From what was visible, most others had already left, the parking lot looking quite empty compared to their arrival, with their tech vans gone since the morning after the examination and now also that most of the others had left, too. Mark was still around, waiting to leave with them and currently also throwing his back into the trunk.</p><p>The fighter was already moving to the driver’s side, holding the door open there. Which looked, honestly, attractive. Must be the mixture of great looks and an expensive car but it wasn’t like Renjun would be the one to complain about that. Eyes curved from smiling the younger asked, “Do you want to drive?”</p><p>The artist nearly choked on air. Despite his recent driving lessons with Yangyang that they had somehow squeezed into his daily schedule recently, he didn’t really feel confident enough to already engage in an actual driving experience that would include things like the highway.</p><p>“Good idea,” Mark agreed, basically putting a neon sign of TRAITOR above his head. It was shining quite bright and had Renjun squint his eyes at him.</p><p>“You realize I don’t have a driving license, do you?” The Chinese pointed out, and that really didn’t sound like a fun experience in case they might be stopped by the police or get reported by another driver because of his lacking skills. Doyoung’s hacking skills wouldn’t even mean a lot when the damage to his ego had already been executed.</p><p>“Then don’t get caught,” Jeno simply smiled, and gestured for Renjun to get into the car.</p><p>The last ray of hope was diminished when even Jaemin belatedly commented, “Injunnie driving? Sexy.” The youngest, just like the two others, seemed oddly relaxed about this matter, as if it didn’t mean anything if they got an accident or were held up somewhere. And in theory, Renjun knew peer pressure like this was a bad idea. If they were college students or the likes, it would get him hopelessly smashed at a party, yet all that vanished when meeting Jeno’s hopeful gaze.</p><p>“Fine,” he huffed, digging his pointer finger into Jeno’s chest as a warning. “But if something happens, it’s on you and Mark.”</p><p>“Wouldn’t it be a scandal for you, though?” Jaemin grinned, and dodged into the backseat of the car just in time to evade Renjun hitting him. His laughter still echoed through the little room, followed by the door falling close twice from where Mark, too, had settled on the backseats. </p><p>After a moment of hesitation, the artist finally plopped into the driver’s seat, cursing in his mind whoever had been there before him because of needing to adjust the seat first. Under Jeno’s patient guidance, he checked through the mirrors and settings and as a last bit, the younger added, “If you don’t feel comfortable, just pull over at the best chance. We can still change then.”</p><p>“Shut up,” Renjun grumbled, not wanting to admit just how nervous this made him. Driving around the agency’s grounds definitely was different to this, not to mention how Yangyang seemed to have had more fun to let him ride down grass slides on the motocross rather than sitting in a car and getting used to the far away city traffic. Partly justified, but currently not the least reassuring. He wasn’t even sure he knew all the regulations of driving he was supposed to learn prior to this.</p><p>As the last member of their little party, Jeno slid into the co-driver’s seat, handling the navigation system while Renjun was already stressing about getting the car out of the parking slot. It didn’t get better when at the same time it did. Within a few minutes, he had figured how to steer the car properly that felt so different to Yangyang’s older model, and there were hardly any other drivers around. Concurrently he was made aware of how little he knew the street signs and directions, needing to rely on Jeno’s and Mark’s guidance more often than not.</p><p>According to the navigation system, they were about halfway home when the back grew suspiciously quiet. Through the rearview mirror, Renjun could see Mark having fallen asleep on Jaemin’s shoulder, with the youngest not doing any better. It might be one of his worst looking times, mouth open, little snores coming out every once in a while, and head fallen backwards, it should be anything but attractive. To the artist, it was still adorable, a picture of innocence.</p><p>“I’m glad,” Jeno suddenly confessed, seeming about as stressed as the two behind about Renjun’s still somewhat clumsy driving, evident mostly when he had to shift gears or round corners. “That it all worked out. The exam and… you know.”</p><p>“I know?” Renjun teased, couldn’t help himself, because sometimes it was just that easy. He knew it took time to warm up to the idea of speaking about one’s feelings openly, he was no better in that aspect, so now that the chance was presented to them, he didn’t want to let it go to waste either.</p><p>“When I confessed to you first, I kind of expected you to take your time. I didn’t consider Jaemin getting into the picture back then but now… I’m happy he did.” The younger smiled softly, in a way that made his face seem younger, ridded of all worries and had Renjun’s fingers itching for a pencil to put it down onto paper.</p><p>“Did you think about it?” The artist prodded, fingers carefully closing around the steering wheel as he shifted gears, leaving the highway to get on the through road leading them home. “What would happen to Jaemin if I had just accepted you?”</p><p>“That he’d just… be there. Like before.” It sounded too carefully phrased, that alone already giving away that it had not been a conscious thought, not something considered. But that’s what made them work, that they were each so different in disposition to complement each other. Randomly, like a sudden spark of thought, Jeno intervened the subject himself by declaring, “You’re doing well with driving.”</p><p>Renjun smiled softly although it didn’t erase one other thought from his mind. Voice lightly lilting he corrected, “You made out with Jaemin before. Did you had hopes I’d let you even if you had me?”</p><p>From the way Jeno whined, it was obvious he hadn’t. It made the artist snort in amusement. Clearly, that was something that had not been considered. For a moment he had to wonder whether at that time, even if he had accepted Jeno in the spur of the moment, it wouldn’t have ended exactly the way it had now. Jaemin wasn’t a force they could escape, was a part of their life, someone who had nestled into their hearts on his own. Maybe it would have taken them a bit longer but if they were actually meant to be, he was certain it would have worked out either way.</p><p>“Jeno?” Renjun asked, after a few seconds of silence, and promptly feeling the younger’s querying eyes on himself. “Since when is the police following us?”</p><p>The fighter startled in his seat, checking behind them for any patrol car but, as there was none, it was only Renjun’s turn to laugh in glee. An all too solemn mood didn’t fit them anyways.</p><p><br/>
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  <p>*’“*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･♡♪+*.</p>
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</p><p>With a yawn Renjun bid Jaehyun farewell as they parted ways on the housing floor, going into different directions down the hall and, honestly, at this point he couldn’t be anymore glad than to finally have the older out of his face. It might sound mean - actually, it did - but Renjun had spent a week on a stake out with Jaehyun because of some leaks they had gotten on Hansol’s position, stuck in a hotel room together with not much of a chance to leave. He was tired, and he was tired of always the same sight: the small clinic opposite the hotel and Jaehyun.</p><p>It had been his first mission, some super awesome not fancy at all ID not stuck in his wallet, and all he got to do was live off take out while sharing a bed with someone who wasn’t his boyfriends. Somehow he had expected more but at the same time, it had been funny to see the similarities between Jeno and his mentor. Unfortunately, as a side-effect, it had made him miss his two idiots all the more. </p><p>At this point, he just wanted to get home, take a shower, drop into bed, and get all the kisses he had missed out on for days now. A plan he was just about to put into action, having already crossed the living room to drop off his bag in his room when, rather than the two familiar beds he was used to, he was met with one giant… pile of pillows? He just stood there, looking at it for another moment in confusion but, honestly, he was too tired to care right now, too exhausted to question where Jaemin’s and his original beds and work spaces consisting of desks and shelves had gone too because there was only this fluffy looking mess and his pictures hung up. </p><p>Renjun just stood there, looking at it for another moment or two, before he decided to just give up on even the idea to think of what this meant. Sending his bag flying, stealing a shirt from Jaemin’s side of the closet to wear, and running a hot shower seemed way better. Even if he craved nothing more than to spend a normal evening and night again after a while, he was also aware that it would take a bit for Jeno and Jaemin to return from training according to their updated schedules.</p><p>Annoying as it could be at times, without being bothersome for real, he missed Jaemin whining about getting shot at by Johnny whenever Renjun’s slots were aligned differently, and his evenings had seemed awfully dull without this whiny kind of bedtime story. He had missed getting woken up in the morning by Jeno with an apple between his teeth, fingers nudging into his side to get him up as well, just so they could go on their morning run. Missed them being together for breakfast and joking about the possible mishaps of their day ahead of them. </p><p>It didn’t feel like it had been such a long time of being with them but already he was far too used to having them around, to falling asleep to neck kisses and being sent off with sweet words at the door. The contrast to being alone with Jaehyun was far too striking and albeit it hadn’t been said out loud, Renjun was certain the older had already been tired of his company too. But before they could officially go on missions as a team, they, too, had to each carry out some missions with more experienced agents first. It made sense but logic couldn’t always rule out the heart’s desires.</p><p>All these thoughts and stress he persistently tried to scrub off his skin, and he wished washing his hair would mean getting his brain washed as well, to replace this drained sensation with a more energetic one. Hopelessly so. At least the scent of his usual shower gel soothed his nerves for the time being. </p><p>Unfortunately, by the time he was done it was still too early for the both to be back just yet, and this time his heart had to give it up to his physical needs. When he entered his room shared with Jaemin again, he was refreshed enough to take in the changed state a bit better. Beneath the pillows, he found blankets and beneath that, a mattress. A bit delayed he had to realize, somehow while he had been gone these two had gotten the two double beds replaced with a single bigger one, easily fitting the three of them, possibly even if they all starfished on it.</p><p>There was also a new closet where once his art supplies had been, and slowly Renjun got the hunch that their previous furniture had been moved to Jeno’s room to serve as some sort of work space there. An assumption he should probably prove right first but he didn’t feel like it. </p><p>Instead, by instinct, he reached for the fairy lights hooked to the wall to turn them on in lieu of the ceiling light and decided to just drop into bed. It was lower than any of their previous ones, meaning it was perfect for just that, there was no bothersome frame either, that would only result in bruised shins. Whatever had spurred his boyfriends to make this decison, it had been a good one, and it was cozy, just perfect to cuddle into it.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>He must have fallen asleep without noticing for when he woke up, Jeno was sat next to him, ruining his eyes by playing games on a mobile console with too little light on, and a tempting scent wafted over from the kitchen through the open door. Renjun didn’t even have it in him to greet his boyfriend, only grunted and moved close enough to misuse the younger as heated pillow. The barely there sounds of games stopped, and a hand found its way to his hair to play with it.</p><p>“Missed you too, grumpy,” the fighter teased quietly, and Renjun had half a mind to bite Jeno’s thigh for that, but forewent it for the sake of easy rest. “Jaemin is warming up some soup for you. Jaehyun-hyung said you might be exhausted, why didn’t you write us about having come back?”</p><p>Still too lazy to reply, the artist just grunted once more, cuddling closer. In actuality, he had been too drained of any and all thought at that time to even consider it. Slightly he adjusted his position, pressing his face into the junction of Jeno’s hip and thigh, the citric scent of his recently changed shower gel still lingering around. It was soothing, the scent of home, the scent he could easily fall asleep to again.</p><p>Not something he was allowed to consider, and he sleepily whined at the interruption, wanting to curse out his boyfriends for their best friends traits. Because the moment the door was opened even a bit, nudged open by Jaemin’s foot, Jeno had moved in accordance to heave the smaller up, pulling Renjun between his thighs.</p><p>“Oh my, how cute you’re looking,” the youngest honest to heavens squealed, repeating it a second or maybe a third time while the Chinese just wished the other was closer to earn the punch he deserved. He had missed this, Jaemin cooing at their every action, the teasing and joking, the little gestures. No matter how annoying it could be at times, he would never want it to change either way because it was just them, so uniquely them, he didn’t want to change a thing.</p><p>Rather than saying that out loud, because he was not anywhere close enough to drunk to do so, he glared at his younger boyfriend who currently settled between their tangled legs on the bed. It was a weird fit, too many knees in too little space, and it took some miniscule shifting of them all to make it more comfortable. </p><p>“Aren’t you too cute,” Jaemin cooed some more, softer this time, and rubbed along Renjun’s thigh gently. It would be stupid to try to go for more, not with the tray placed across the cook’s lap, soup possibly toppling over and burning them all. Instead, and Renjun felt kind of stupid allowing that, he was fed dinner slowly, Jaemin ever careful not to spill or waste any until the last drop. </p><p>The warmth of it lulled the Chinese to sleep once again as much as it gave him energy to be a bit more awake, sinking further into Jeno’s chest as he watched after Jaemin return everything to the kitchen. He felt drowsy and he was sure it showed when he asked, “When did you have the time to do all this?”</p><p>“The room?” Jeno asked, and carefully shifted them around until they were laying down, taller still pressed against his back, arm tight around his waist. “It was Jaemin’s idea. He said since we’re always sleeping together anyways we might as well have just one bedroom. Do you like it?”</p><p>“Like it,” Renjun agreed, stretching his hand in Jaemin’s direction the moment the younger was back to their newly allocated bedroom. Nothing was better for falling asleep than being bracketed by these two and no amount of stolen sweaters could make up for that. “Missed you two too much.”</p><p>“We missed you too, Junnie,” Jaemin readily agreed, pressing their lips together even if all that resulted in was a lazy kiss, the drawn out kind, when affection weighed heavier than greed, when exhaustion and loved mixed together. “I can’t await for all us to go on a mission just so I won’t have to see you off again. And Jeno makes a horrible little spoon.” </p><p>“What a charmeur,” Renjun huffed, and fixed Jeno’s arm around his waist, making the fighter tighten his hold, while he curled into Jaemin’s chest. Blinking his eyes felt like trying to move lead with his lashes, he quickly gave up on that. “Won’t miss you the next time around. Only Jeno.”</p><p>His words surely were but a slur at the moment, and yet the youngest still managed to understand, based on his whines. But Renjun couldn’t even make out the exact words anymore, mind overcome by sleep, body ridded of all tension now that he was back home. Before, he might have cursed Ji Hansol for these useless experiments that had brought him suffering in his youth. Now, when he finally had made a home for himself, when he had found a family to care for him, had discovered love, had two stable jobs, he didn’t have that in him anymore. He shouldn’t but he felt thankful. Because, finally, he had found his perfect place to stay.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, yes! Once again, I want to thank everyone for having read until here!<br/>This is the longest piece I've ever written so I'll applaud myself right now, and also the first time I've put so much thought into planning something so I do actually feel kind of proud of myself.</p><p>Speaking in numbers, this work is nearly more than one and a half of my previously longest project and that had nearly twice as many chapters so, as a writer, I really feel like I've come a long way by now.<br/>I also managed to squeeze in all 21 of the current NCT members which I thought to be impossible before and while it will remain impossible for me to give them all the equal amount of spotlight, that alone is an achievement for me.</p><p>For one last time now, I'll leave you my <a href="https://twitter.com/starrymeis">twitter</a> and <a href="https://curiouscat.me/starrymeis">curiouscat</a>. Feel free to follow me and get little updates on upcoming projects or just shoot me the questions you feel were left unanswered until now? I also still want to train my writing with little drabbles so please don't hesitate to send me your ideas ❤️<br/>Hoping to see y'all again soon!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>✧ I do not claim to have any scientific base for any of what I wrote but I did try my best to make it sound as plausible as possible in this sort of setting.<br/>✧ My knowledge on agencies, too, is taken from media and mixed with creative freedom.<br/>✧ Jeno's and Jaehyun's abilities, though, were inspired by the Jackie Chan movie Suit and some weird mixture of my imagination.<br/>✧ The combo of Chungha and Jisung was actually only because of Snapping and Boom both depicting fencing so there goes that.<br/>✧ <i>Specials</i> refers to all who have an ability thanks to Hansol's nano transplant-mutation-thingie and <i>Superioris</i> is just some really lame shortening for homo sapiens superioris.<br/>✧ Most of my knowledge of fighting I have comes from webtoons (I honestly recommend Girls of the Wild and God of High School since I'm at it!) and on weapons from movies, shows, and the internet, wikipedia and the Glock homepage to be exact.<br/>✧ Similarly, my knowledge on guns and other weapons used here comes from shows, games, etc but no first hand experience.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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